Why do people always ask for image carousels, especially on their homepage? Ok, I understand that sometimes it is politics. “I can’t feature just one topic on my department’s homepage. Can we add seven images, so no one is mad?” Sometimes it is because novices thinks that it “looks cool.” Sometimes people see it on one website and think they should copy the effect. None of these are good reasons for an image carousel, though.
No One is Watching
Politically, you may feel better about having an image carousel, but your users don’t care. No one is watching past the first image. Not only do our own analytics show it, but it has been well documented by others on the web as well:
- Should I Use A Carousel?
- Image Carousels – Why You Shouldn’t Use Them and How to Use Them the Right Way (If You Have To)
Alternatives
Instead of an image carousel that no one will be looking at, sprinkle strong imagery and content through your homepage, informational page, or marketing page. Users will scroll—especially on mobile devices. Instead of cramming all your images into one small section of your page, use them throughout your page. You’ll find more success.
If You Must . . .
If you HAVE to use image carousels, we recommend the following:
- No more than three images. Don’t make the user load anything more than that (bandwidth isn’t free)
- Optimize your images to reduce total load
- Don’t rotate your images automatically. It affects those with motion sickness issues or other motor skill deficiencies
Joel Vertin
Digital Services Manager