carousel

---

name: carousel description: When the user wants to design, optimize, or audit carousel/slider layouts for content display. Also use when the user mentions "carousel," "slider," "carousel layout," "testimonial carousel," "gallery carousel," "quote carousel," "image slider," or "carousel accessibility." For hero-area patterns, use hero-generator. metadata: version: 1.1.0

---

Components: Carousel Layout

Guides carousel (slider) layout design for sequential content display. Carousels show one or few items at a time; users swipe or click to advance. Best when space is limited and multiple items need rotation—testimonials, quotes, logos, gallery highlights.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

When to Use Carousel

| Use carousel when | Use grid/list when | |-------------------|---------------------| | Limited space | Full catalog visible | | One focus at a time; rotation desired | Browse, compare many items | | Testimonials, quotes, logos, featured gallery | Products, templates, blog index | | Above fold; hero or section highlight | Full listing; discovery |

See grid for equal-hierarchy display; list for text-heavy scan; masonry for varying-height gallery.

Carousel vs Grid vs List vs Masonry

| Layout | Structure | Best for | |--------|-----------|----------| | Grid | Equal rows and columns; all visible | Products, templates, features | | List | Single column; stacked | Blog index, docs, search results | | Masonry | Columns; varying heights | Pinterest-style gallery | | Carousel | Slides; one/few visible; swipe/click | Testimonials, logos, featured items |

Best Practices

Accessibility

Keyboard navigation: Arrow keys to move; Enter/Space to activate; focus visible

User control: Don't auto-advance too fast; allow pause; avoid auto-advance if prefers-reduced-motion is set

Announcements: Screen reader users need to know current slide and total (e.g., "Slide 2 of 5")

Touch targets: ≥44×44px for prev/next buttons on mobile

Performance

Lazy load: Load off-screen slides on demand; avoid loading all images upfront

Reserve space: Reserve space for slides to avoid layout shift (CLS)

SEO

Content in DOM: All carousel content must be in the initial HTML at page load. Google does not simulate clicks; content loaded via AJAX on slide change is not discoverable. Same as tab-accordion.

Recommendation: Server-render all slides in HTML; use CSS/JS only to show/hide. See rendering-strategies.

Use Cases

| Use case | Format | Page Skill | |----------|--------|------------| | Testimonials | Quote carousel; multiple testimonials | testimonials-generator | | Showcase / Gallery | Featured items; rotation | showcase-page-generator | | Press logos | "As Seen In" logo strip or quote carousel | press-coverage-page-generator | | Community | Banner carousel below hero | community-forum |

Related Skills

grid: Grid for full catalog; when carousel is too restrictive

list: List for text-heavy scan

masonry: Masonry for varying-height gallery

card: Card structure within carousel slides

testimonials-generator: Testimonial carousel; testimonials as content

showcase-page-generator: Gallery format options (grid, masonry, carousel)

tab-accordion: Similar SEO requirement—content in DOM at load

rendering-strategies: SSR, SSG; content in initial HTML for crawlers

Accessibility

Keyboard navigation: Arrow keys to move; Enter/Space to activate; focus visible

User control: Don't auto-advance too fast; allow pause; avoid auto-advance if prefers-reduced-motion is set

Announcements: Screen reader users need to know current slide and total (e.g., "Slide 2 of 5")

Touch targets: ≥44×44px for prev/next buttons on mobile

Performance

Lazy load: Load off-screen slides on demand; avoid loading all images upfront

Reserve space: Reserve space for slides to avoid layout shift (CLS)

SEO

Content in DOM: All carousel content must be in the initial HTML at page load. Google does not simulate clicks; content loaded via AJAX on slide change is not discoverable. Same as tab-accordion.

Recommendation: Server-render all slides in HTML; use CSS/JS only to show/hide. See rendering-strategies.