If you’re still considering using sliders or carousels on your website’s homepage, you likely want to reconsider.
The latest research from the Baymard Institute reinforces the long-standing consensus: these elements are often implemented poorly and lead to detrimental user experience. A section of that report covers sliders/carousels and the news is the same as it has been since we’ve been writing about this topic in 2016.
What really stands out in the report is their recommendation to consider using static content cards to feature categories or high priority “products” (think events).
Alternatively, using static content sections scattered throughout the homepage in combination with featured categories was observed to perform well during testing.
– Baymard Institute: The Current State of Homepage and Category Navigation UX: 76% of Sites Have Mediocre-to-Poor Performance (12 Common Pitfalls) full article
Inspiration
Here are some examples that apply the static content solution recommended by Baymard you can use for your own inspiration, all of these are from my client portfolio work.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
One of the more popular options, this approach uses an offset grid where each card includes a title, extended description copy, and a call to action button. In mobile, everything stacks to a single column. visit site
Seattle Bach Festival
This “less is more” approach is applied with sections appearing below a bifurcated hero layout. Instead of call-to-action buttons, the entire section container is clickable. In mobile, everything stacks to a single column. visit site
Racine Theatre Guild
In this example, the images are designed to bleed past the side margins. While the images could be configured to be clickable or have call-to-action buttons, their primary purpose is to reinforce copy. As such, on mobile the entire component reduces in size, proportionately, instead of stacking since clickability isn’t a concern. visit site
Olivia boen, Soprano
When you have the luxury of not needing to promote a dozen or more mission driven programs on the homepage, you can consider a big, full screen width checkerboard approach. It stacks nicely on mobile and provides enough room to include any type of media and a comparatively large amount of copy and call-to-action buttons. visit site
In the end, while the lure of sliders and carousels on the homepage can feel strong, they often hinder rather than enhance a website’s effectiveness. A more successful approach prioritizes clear messaging, a strong call to action, and a user-friendly design across all device types that avoids distracting elements.
