Sliders and carousels (often used interchangeably) show rotating content, like hero images that slide to reveal a second message, navigation dots, auto-advance, etc. They’ve been a go-to design pattern for years. But ask the question: should you use one? The web accessibility world has an opinion: Should I Use a Carousel?
The Allure of Sliders & Carousels
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They feel dynamic and modern. A rotating hero can catch the eye and make a homepage feel “active.”
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They attempt to serve multiple messages. If you have several things you want to highlight (product, service, call-to-action), a carousel appears to give each one space.
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They save vertical real estate. Rather than stacking three separate hero images one under another, a carousel condenses them into one space.
Why They Aren’t Always the Best Choice
Most users don’t engage with (or even notice) them.
According to the “Should I Use a Carousel?” research:
“1% clicked a feature. Of those, 89% were the first position.”
Which means only ~1% of site visitors clicked anything in a carousel, and if they did, it was almost always the first slide. That means that the other slides are not receiving user engagement.
The first slide dominates
Because most visitors ignore later slides, your most important message must be slide #1, which defeats the logic of having multiple slides at all. If your second or third slide contains a key CTA or message, you’re effectively hiding it.
Accessibility
From the same research:
“Carousels pose accessibility issues for keyboard and screen reader users that simply cannot be adequately addressed by markup or hacks.”
We do test any carousels we implement for accessibility using automated tools, but there are still real world concerns.
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Auto-rotating content that moves without user control
- Screen-reader announcements of changes that confuse rather than inform vision impaired users
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Tiny dots and arrows, which are hard to target
Performance & SEO
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Loading multiple large images (one for each slide) increases page size and slows load time, especially on mobile.
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Additional JavaScript libraries for sliding/transition effects can hurt metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
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From a conversion standpoint, too many messages make a site look scattered, which can confuse visitors and reduce click-throughs.
When a Slider/Carousel Might Be Good
While the evidence strongly suggests avoiding carousels as primary messaging tools, there are situations where a slider makes sense:
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It’s used lower down the page, not in the hero section (so it’s optional content rather than critical messaging).
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It’s manually controlled (users click ← / →) rather than auto-rotating, giving control to the visitor.
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It’s functioning as an image gallery (e.g., product photos or portfolio) rather than a “message slider.”
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It’s fully built with accessibility in mind.
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The content inside it is optional, meaning if the user never clicks through, no critical CTA or message is lost.
What to do Instead of a Carousel / Slider
First, realize that you have all the space in the world.
One of the biggest myths in web design is that “people don’t scroll.”
In reality, decades of usability research, including studies from the Nielsen Norman Group, Crazy Egg, ClickTale, and modern analytics platforms, show the opposite:
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Users expect to scroll.
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Scrolling is easier than clicking, especially on mobile.
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There is no penalty for long pages, as long as content is well organized and broken into clear sections.
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The vast majority of user attention is below the “fold”, not above it.
Nielsen Norman has reiterated this for years:
“Scrolling beats clicking. Users have adapted to long pages and trust that more content continues downward.”
This matches modern user behavior on the platforms people use daily. We all scroll endlessly through Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and news apps without a second thought. Long, scroll-friendly pages feel natural to users. Don’t feel like you have to jam everything in above the “fold”. Research doesn’t support this.
So, you don’t need a slider to fit everything. You can, and should, place your messages in well-structured sections further down the page. A single, clear hero message at the top, followed by well-organized supporting content as users scroll, almost always outperforms a rotating carousel trying to squeeze in multiple themes.
Summary
Sliders and carousels can be a classic case of “looks good in marketing meetings” but “ineffective in actual user behavior.” The research is consistent: they’re ignored, problematic for accessibility, and rarely deliver ROI.
If your goal is to communicate a key message or drive a conversion, your best bet is:
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A single, clear hero image or background
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A strong, concise headline and sub-headline
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One focused call-to-action (CTA)
Use a slider only if it truly adds value (gallery, optional content) and only when it’s implemented with accessibility and performance in mind.
