Design
Lorem ipsum: the (sort of) deeper meaning behind the dummy text
Carousels, sliders and rotating banners – chances are you’ve heard one or more of these terms before. Image carousels can be found on nearly any news site, online store or informational site with one goal in mind: force-feed the user as much content as possible, as soon as they land on your site.
The concept of image sliders dates back several years to when JavaScript started booming. Image sliders were a great way to show users multiple promotions or features while freeing up page space. Once they started gaining momentum, online retailers began using them to showcase their weekly promotions, similar to a weekly insert in the Sunday paper.
Now, image sliders are overused and oftentimes ignored by the consumer. Here are a few reasons why customers aren’t paying attention:
A 2013 study at the University of Notre Dame was conducted on the efficiency of image carousels and revealed that only one percent of three million site visitors clicked on a carousel’s featured image.
Too many messages oftentimes equal no message to consumers. Sometimes, slides on image sliders are so fast that people are not able to finish reading them. Keep your website timely without becoming a promotion hoarder. You don’t need to hold onto everything you’ve ever promoted; every campaign has a shelf life. When considering alternatives to image sliders, here are a few points to keep in mind:
Before you make a big decision on how to direct your users, consider your customer and the experience first, and do it right. Measure, adjust, rinse and repeat.
Are you open to alternatives to image sliders? If yes, what alternatives have you explored, and what do you think about them?