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23 February 2025 | Issue #122

In this issue:

• Why I Hate Carousels
• The Value of Buying Books
• Top AI Image Generators for 2026
• What Colors Mean Around the World
• Design Quote of the Week

When was the last time you went to a website and waited to see what scrolled across the screen?

We all just go to a website, take our hand off the mouse, and wait to see what happens next. Right?

Totally normal behavior to sit back and just watch a website.

No?

You don't do this?

That's because nobody does this.

Viewing a website is not a passive activity. We visit a website to solve a problem. Sometimes that problem is to fix a toilet. Other times, it's to kill boredom.

Yet, we still see carousels on far too many websites.

I Know Why We Have Carousels

There are two reasons we see carousels. The first is ego.

Somebody who isn't fully in charge declared that their product is so important that it deserves to be front and center on the home page.

But the reality is that promoting that product isn't the company's most important priority. So, compromises have to be made.

The most important item is featured on the first slide of the carousel. Then, different product/messages are shown on subsequent slides.

If your head of marketing is fully tied into the business and company leadership, they know what is most important for the company. Marketing has to placate the person with the "Don't you know who my dad is!" energy by putting their request on carousel slides that will never be seen.

A carousel is corporate compromise in motion.

The second reason for carousels is poor UX

As I wrote above, people don't wait for websites to do whatever they're going to do.

Navigating around a website is called browsing for a reason. People are active. They're looking for something.

It's a lean-forward activity.

Your visitors aren't leaning back on their couch waiting to watch whatever show appears next on their TV.

If you have access to HotJar, Microsoft Clarity, or other recording tools, you can watch how visitors move around a website.

I've heard some people say a carousel helps build the experience, but that's like saying people go to the movies for the trailers.

It makes a worse experience. Not only because it can slow visitors from seeing what they are looking for, but it's bad for your website.

Many of these carousels require large images, which can slow page load times. Which in turn can hurt your rankings. Google knows that people don't want to wait for your giant images to load. There are ways to compress the images. Or you could just allow your designers to design something that benefits the visitor.

Your user experience designers know the best way to create an experience that benefits the viewer AND the business. But they also like having a job, so they'll make compromises if the VP of Marketing isn't strong enough to withstand loud agendas that don't benefit the business.

The best user experience designers can explain the reasons behind their design decisions. Some get overly protective of their designs. But when they can present a data-driven case for their decisions, they'll incorporate everything necessary for a successful site.

And it won't include a carousel.

Of course, there are rare exceptions. But your site probably isn't one of them.

Design that tries to please everyone usually converts no one. That’s why carousels don’t work.

THE VISUAL MARKETER

This past week, Filipa Canelas posted about the value of buying books. Not only is The Visual Marketer included, but other books that I've read (and/or helped with design) are featured on her list.

One-Year Anniversary

Also, to celebrate the upcoming one-year anniversary of The Visual Marketer, I've temporarily lowered the price of the paperback and digital edition!

RECENT RESOURCES

I published a guide that shows the differences between different image generators using the same prompt.

I also broke down what colors mean in different parts of the world.

DESIGN QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Love blinds us. Don’t love anything – an idea, a tool, a graphic, a technique, a technology, a client or a colleague – too much.” - Adam Judge

My AI disclaimer: I wrote this week's article and ChatGPT helped me with edits.

Midjourney image prompt: a woman is looking at a computer monitor. We see her back. A vibrant, high-contrast illustration using flat vector-style shading with neon and duotone color blocking. The characters are stylized with exaggerated lighting in magenta and yellow tones, set against a cyan background. There’s a strong use of shadow and highlight to create depth without using gradients. It uses clean lines and a minimal background to keep focus on the figures and objects. --ar 16:9

Thanks for reading,

–Jim

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