Website Carousels: Is There Any Right Time to Use Them?

Carousels are a controversial topic in web design.

They’re often disregarded as “bad design” due to low user engagement, and we’ve even written in the past about why they shouldn’t be used.

Still, they continue to come up in design meetings – and while we avoid them for key content areas, there are some instances where they may work.

Let’s go through the specific situations together.

When to Avoid Using Website Carousels

Carousels do not belong in the hero image of your website.

This section that’s above the fold at the top of your site, usually on the homepage, creates your first impression and should focus on your primary message to users. Though it may be tempting to inundate the area with upcoming events, fundraisers, and volunteer opportunities, it’s just not effective.

When any one section of the page becomes cluttered with competing messages, they tend to become less effective and often get ignored. The same logic applies to the call-to-action (CTA) at the end of any page.

Each page should have a goal, and the CTA should serve as a clear guide for what your users do next.

Since carousels create a discoverability issue, avoid implementing them in areas with essential information. You don’t want to bury important content or make it any more difficult for users to find.

When Website Carousels May Be Useful

Now that we’ve established what to avoid, when can you use a carousel? Here are some use cases that typically work well:

• Social proof, like client logos or testimonials
• Image galleries
• An integrated social feed, like recent Instagram posts
• Blog posts

Why do these examples work?

Simply put, it’s because we don’t expect users to click through this content completely anyway. It’s lower-priority information that doesn’t diffuse your messaging – making little to no difference whether users view the first item or the fourth.

For some types of content, even just the implication of having multiple examples can be helpful. For example, a carousel of testimonials makes the section feel more robust – bolstering the overall message that your organization is reliable.

How to Successfully Implement a Website Carousel

If you do choose implement a carousel on your website, here are some best practices to follow.

• Provide navigation: Make it clear to your users that there are multiple items to view, and include arrows to make navigation easy. Pagination dots provide a sense of progress and indicate where a user is within the series.
• Less is better: Don’t overdo it – aim to include fewer than 6 slides so that it that the interaction cost isn’t unmanageable for users to sift through.
• Test on mobile: Test the carousel on mobile devices to ensure it’s usable.

As with any web design rule, there is nuance. If you follow these guidelines, including a carousel shouldn’t cause major usability issues.

Need help deciding if you should implement a carousel on your site? We can help you strategize – reach out to us.