Sliders, also known as slideshow galleries, are great for many reasons. They save website space, prevent distractions, provide a break for users, and allow users to control the content (user can view the sliders at their own pace or skip if information is not relevant). (Smith).
One way to use a slider is when you have to present large amounts of information to a user. If you break the information down into steps, you can use the slider as a visual aid to the steps. For example, showing steps on how to use a product. “What would have taken the user several minutes to read through text, they quickly understand through a slider in seconds” (Smith).
Another way to use sliders is by making content stand out on the homepage. The slider provides a quick overview of the side an allows the user to decide what to do nice in a quick amount of time (Smith).
If a website updates its content often, sliders can be used to highlight those updates. For example, news websites use sliders to highlight the latest material and “users know at a glance when things have changed” (Smith).
Some websites like real estate or car websites use sliders as photo galleries. Users visiting those sites want to see many photos of each home or car before they see it in person so the slider allows them to do this quickly, which provides a good user experience (Smith).
In the creative field, many professionals need a way to show their portfolio and skills and a slider is a great way to do this. Users “can see as much or as little as they wish but even if they do not stay long, they leave with a general impression” (Smith).
Ecommerce companies use sliders to highlight their company’s popular products to “draw the user in, emphasise new varieties or flavors, or show categories to make it easier for the user to shop” (Smith).
No matter what type of website is being built, if a slider is part of the site, make sure these key things are part of the sliders: