Why auto-rotating carousels cause usability issues
Banner carousels are a popular way to display multiple images or messages on a website.
However, they can also have some drawbacks, such as distracting users, slowing down loading times, and reducing accessibility. Therefore, it is important to follow some best practices when creating banner carousels in websites.
Heres' a quick summary of current best practices:
Use clear and concise text that communicates the main value proposition of each slide.
Limit the number of slides to three or four, and avoid automatic transitions that can confuse or annoy users.
Provide navigation controls such as arrows, dots, or thumbnails that allow users to switch between slides manually.
Ensure that the slides are responsive and adapt to different screen sizes and devices.
Use high-quality images that are relevant to the content and match the website's style and branding.
Test the banner carousel for usability, performance, and accessibility issues, and measure its impact on user engagement and conversion rates.
Usability studies have shown:
Removing information before the user has had a chance to read it is a bad idea, especially bad for users with lower literacy levels.
International visitors reading content on websites not written in their native language will generally read information more slowly and therefore will struggle if information is displayed and then removed.
Users often assume the item is an advert due to the fact that it's moving; the result? It is often ignored.
Visibility of an item is significantly lowered if that item shares the display time with a number of other items. For example, if there are 5 items each appearing after say 5 secs, the items will only be visible for 20% of the time and will only reappear after 20 secs after being intially replace.
In a nutshell - it's just downright annoying if UI elements move around on their own!
Alternatives to auto-rotating carousels (pros and cons)
Static banners - They aresimple, fast, accessible but have limited space and can are less engaging
Carousels with user controls - Allows for more content with user choice but can be too heavy, distracting and are often ignored
Tabs with clear labels - Organised, clear and user-friendly but content is less visible and requires clicks
Accordions and carousels should show a new panel only when users ask for it. Otherwise, it should stand still and let users read the information in peace, without having the rug yanked from under them
Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D. - User Advocate and principal of the Nielsen Norman Group