Which slider is suitable for what?
Available sliders
We currently have two content elements: the text slider and the slider gallery. An element that combines image and text does not yet exist.*
Text slider
The text slider was originally designed to show short quotes or statements (e.g. from alumni). It runs across the full page width, without background color, and shows three boxes next to each other, each of which slides. Each box has a white background and is clearly aligned with the text - images do not fit in here.
Slider gallery
The slider gallery, on the other hand, is intended for images that need to make an impression. It also runs across the full width. What is special here is that the next or previous image fades out halfway across the edge.
What you should know:
- It is not suitable as an advertising space with text-heavy images. Text in images is invisible to search engines and not accessible to users with screen readers - so this information would be lost.
- The gallery is also unsuitable as a navigation or download list with linked images. Many visitors would not expect such a function there, and links in sliders tend to be discovered by chance. Theoretically, we would even have to switch off the linking of images - but in practice this is not possible because otherwise existing content would be broken.
User behavior
Sliders had a great time 10-12 years ago when it came to making websites more interactive. In the meantime, however, we know quite well how users use them - and that is rather cautious:
- Many don't click on the arrows or dots at all, but only notice what is directly visible.
- Many deliberately ignore anything that moves.
- Important information should therefore always be accessible without a "hurdle".
What's more, on mobile devices you often don't recognize at first glance that you can operate a slider. Our template is also affected by this.
Sensible use of sliders
However, there are other scenarios in which sliders are attractive and useful if they are used deliberately. For example, they are now an important part of many online stores and are well suited for emotional image sequences for campaigns, events, etc.
Recommendation from practice
As an editor, you want to make attractive use of the large screen area on your desktop - so sliders initially seem like a good option. However, it is actually worth starting with the mobile view (View module in theTypo3 backend). What works well there usually also works better on the desktop.
* Whether we will need a separate element for text and images at some point is still open. Perhaps we need a completely different form of presentation rather than a slider.
