Enhancing UX with Next.js Intercepted Routes

 What is Intercepting route?

Intercepting routes in Next.js enhance the user experience by allowing content from different pages to be displayed within the same layout. Instead of navigating to a new page, the content appears on top, such as showing a form or a notification without interrupting the current context. This approach is particularly helpful when you want to maintain the flow of the application and avoid unnecessary page reloads. By keeping the user in the same layout, intercepting routes make the application feel faster and more responsive.

Moreover, intercepting routes make it easier to manage UI elements that might normally be displayed in separate pages, such as overlays, modals, or notifications. Instead of having multiple routes and separate components, you can simply use the intercepting route feature to load content dynamically, improving both the performance and the smoothness of your app. This makes it easier to provide richer interactions without overwhelming the user with constant page changes.

By using intercepting routes, developers can create more engaging and interactive applications where context-switching is minimized. Whether it’s an image gallery, a product preview, or an alert box, intercepting routes make it simple to display content in a seamless, intuitive way. It also gives users more control over how they interact with the app, all while making the experience feel faster and more fluid.

Intercepting patterns

Intercepting route patterns in Next.js function like relative path conventions ../. which means we can define intercepting routes using different levels:

(..) targets routes on the same directory level.

(..)(..) accesses routes two levels higher.

(…) directly points to the application’s root directory.

These patterns allow you to flexibly integrate routes from any location in your app, enabling seamless overlays or nested content rendering across layouts without disrupting the user’s navigation context.