Sliders




Sure you see them everywhere, but are they any good?






@curtismchale

Why???



In theory you get more 'important' content on the page

In reality a slider lets you tell management that their latest idea is on the homepage

Make it easy for the designer to get departments satisfied

Saves you from saying NO which feels hard

How many clicks




Only 1% of users even clicked on the slider
Users overwhelmingly only interact with the first slide (89%)
Carousel interaction stats             


So no one clicks and if they do it's on the first item

User Tasks



What if we asked a user to click on something that was in the first slider position?

They fail to find the huge item in the first position

People are 'blind' to sliders just like ads on sites



Relevancy


Usually displaying  the latest marketing messages

Is that even what they came looking for?

If so it often switches just as they want to click

So do we now focus on the next offer and check relevancy or find the back button?


Speed



Most sliders load huge images and lots of JS




Test speed of things with Load Impact


SEO Impacts



Changing headers which makes relevancy hard


They often take the place of content

accessibility




Sliders/Carrousels don't work well with assistive devices

Mobile???



Even slower since LTE is not everywhere
How does the navigation work in a touch environment?

but if you must that article has tips
Use a hero image instead

Swiping though a common interaction is still a mystery
There is no 'button' or indicator to hint

But 'the fold'


Don't sliders help us keep information up so users don't scroll?

The fold is different depending on screensize

The fold is dead and has been for a while

More 'fold' reading



When to use sliders



To showcase product photos

Portfolio possibly

When the slider is the end goal of the site

Galleries are probably better




Design tips for sliders or galleries




use simple effects




Let the pictures do the talking

Single call to action



Use one call to action and use it on all slides



  • Nest at least on the first 2 slides

Use great images



Way to many clients just pull out their phone to take a picture

You decide



More reading


Sliders

By curtismchale

Sliders

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