When you browse through any e-commerce website, the first thing that catches your eye is the carousel. From fashion websites to book stores, carousels are everywhere! However, despite its popularity, not everyone uses this as a web design element. And if you are not sure whether you should use a carousel, take a look at all of those websites that don’t have one. Do they stand out for the better? If you want to learn more about carousels and what they can do for your website design, keep reading! We are going to break down everything you need to know about this trending UI component and explain why it might be beneficial for your site.

What Is a Carousel?

A carousel is a rotating display that presents a set of images, videos, or other visual elements one at a time, in sequence. Images on a carousel are often linked to other pages or content related to the initial page. A carousel is a great way to showcase a set of products easily and efficiently. Whether you sell food, apparel, electronics, or toys, a carousel can help you showcase your products in a way that is impactful and eye-catching. A carousel is especially great for showcasing things that have a sequential order, like a meal menu, or items that might be difficult to capture with just one image, like a product that you need several shots to show its different uses.

What is the Purpose of a Carousel in Web Design?

The main goal of a carousel is to allow users to scroll through a set of images or videos, while displaying a CTA. Ideally, you want to prompt the user to take a action such as click to learn more about a product/service, make a purchase or complete a form. Carousels should allow users to jump right to the end of the carousel and back to the beginning, seamlessly. They can also be helpful if you want to present related information to your users, but don’t want to take up space on your main page with a lot of separate pages.

Pros of Using a Carousel in Web Design

If you are new to the world of web design, you might be wondering why so many websites use carousels. To help you understand, here are some of the advantages of carousels on your website:

• You can showcase a lot of content in a small space
• They are visually appealing – Carousels are great for grabbing attention.
• They can drive sales -showcase new products or promote sales.
• They can also help you to highlight important information for your users, such as special deals or contact details.

Cons of Using a Carousel in Web Design

As with any trend, there will always be those that overdo it. It’s easy to overuse carousels because they are so easy to implement. While they are great for some applications, there are definitely some occasions when they are not appropriate. Here are some cons to using carousels:

• They can be distracting – If you have too many different carousels, they can become distracting. You don’t want your users to be too overwhelmed with the amount of information that is being presented to them.
• They can be difficult to navigate – If you have a carousel that scrolls in a single direction, it can be difficult for some people to navigate. If your carousel doesn’t have an easy way for people to get back to the start, it can be a huge problem.
• They might break accessibility laws – While carousels can be helpful when trying to showcase a lot of information, they still need to be accessible to all of your users. This includes those who use a screen reader or those who may have vision impairments.

How to Make Your Carousel Stand Out Even More

If you have decided that a carousel is the right choice for your website, now is the time to make it even better. Remember, carousels are pretty popular, and many users are going to be expecting them. What can you do to make your carousel stand out even more?

• Keep it short & sweet
• Carousels are great for displaying a ton of information, but if you go overboard, they can get too long and become too distracting. Use imagery and videos to convey your message. Make sure that each slide is short enough to stay focused and easy to read.
• Choose the right images – You don’t have to use images in your carousel, but they are often the most effective way to showcase information. You want to make sure that your images are clean and easy to see.
• Mix up the content – images, text and videos in your carousel.

Bottom line

Carousels are incredibly helpful in web design. Carousels can also be visually appealing and can help you to drive sales. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind if you want to use a carousel in your design. Make sure that the carousel is short enough to stay focused and easy to read. If you want to use a carousel in your design, make sure that it is the right choice for your website and that it stands out for the better!