Carousels

Carousels and Usability- find a better way

Carousels have become a very popular solution to display more than one important feature on a website. It is imperative to understand that from a user perspective, carousels have proven over and over to be ineffective and can create issues with accessibility. Please use a hero image instead.

“Carousels allow multiple pieces of content to occupy a single, coveted space. This may placate corporate infighting, but on large or small viewports, people often scroll past carousels. A static hero or integrating content in the UI may be better solutions.” -Nielsen Norman Group

Why we don't use carousels:

• Users scroll past this area because it is perceived as “advertisement space”
• Carousels often annoy users
• Users almost never see past the first slide, so all other information is missed.

Create a hero image instead:

A hero image is a website design term used to describe an oversized banner image at the top of a website.

• Use a powerful image
• Focus on one sentiment
• Make sure there is ample contrast and font size when using text over an image.
• Include a clear call to action over the hero image, so it is not simply aesthetic.
• Change out your content so that it remains relevant.
• Be sure that hero content is also placed mindfully in the information architecture and on another page of your site to increase findability.
• For great examples, visit www.uark.edu or housing.uark.edu