We all know how useful content sliders are for showcasing top articles or posts on your website. In fact, if you’re reading a WordPress blog, there’s a good chance it has a WordPress slider plugin front and center. But content carousels are not all sliders are good for.

Because sliders are great for presenting a lot of information in a relatively small footprint, without excessive scrolling or clicking on the part of visitors, designers are continuing to implement innovative new uses for them in contemporary web design.

In this post we’ve highlighted five creative ways to use sliders on your WordPress website. Hopefully it’ll provide inspiration for you when you’re looking to bring fresh interactions and storytelling to your web design through the use of a slider.

#1.

Go beyond blog posts. Use a slider to highlight any kind of featured content – from menu items to limited time sales and more. They’re easy to manage and update, so swapping out specials is just as easy as erasing and updating a restaurant chalkboard.

This deli uses a slider to showcase its delectable sandwiches in all their mouthwatering glory. As local San Diegans, we can attest that they’re as good as they look.

The landing page for Marie Catribs uses a vertical slider with right navigation communicate the local, homespun feel of the brand. Since the images don’t go anywhere, there’s also clever a Show/Hide feature that allows you to view the primary navigation without the slider.

The Barrel House Flat utilizes a horizontal slider to showcase their creative house drink specials. The horizontal parallax-esque effect is simultaneously old fashioned— like flipping through a bespoke drink menu—with a modern touch of digital craft.

#2.

With all the beautiful, customizable WordPress themes available these days, any artist or photographer can find the perfect slider to use as a portfolio to showcase your work to potential clients.

Because this Nashville web design studio emphasizes mobile ready sites, the slider is responsive, adjusting to the screen size. The project showcased have a unique 3D feel to them, and the smooth animations create joy with every click.

One of our favorite interface design agencies, they use a visually appealing transition effect as a twist while guiding potential clients through their impressive portfolio.

This portfolio uses a full page horizontal slider with left and right arrows and minimalist navigation so that the focus is always never far from his stunning work.

#3.

A WordPress slider offers an engaging interactive and visual alternative to a boring list.

Rather than a run-of-the-mill list of spa services and prices, the Berkshires Salon and Day Spa’s slider communicates the same information in a visual UI element with much more style.

More appealing than a list of attractions or collection of thumbnails, these full-sized images give visitors a close up look at the natural beauty of Philadephia’s tourist attractions.

For the three people left who don’t know about Pinterest or how to use it, their “About” page gives potential users ways to use the site with a simple horizontal slider showcasing real users’ Pinterest boards.

#4.

While it’s easy to overdo it, a thoughtful implementation of multiple sliders can create unique user experiences. For a custom look and feel, try one slider in conjunction with another (or several).

Studio Breakfast uses one larger automatic slider above to communicate updates and showcase featured work, combined with a smaller horizontal slider showcasing recent projects below.

Ludlow Kinglsey uses two well-executed sliders: a larger vertical one to display featured projects, and a smaller one with hover navigation to communicate their mission and aesthetics.

Ptarmak skillfully employs several interactive horizontal sliders. The first showcases their latest projects, while each consecutive slider displays work for a specific client.

#5.

Or use a slider as your entire homepage. Giant, interactive sliders are visually appealing and do a great job of communicating a lot about your brand.

For a very sleek effect, this design firm uses a horizontal slider to showcase recent projects at the top of the page, and then provides more detailed information below the main screen.

Team Viget’s visually rich and effective landing page is made up of a single interactive horizontal slider, which serves as navigation for the entire three-page website.

This energy efficiency company uses an sleek and industrial horizontal slider filled with large images showcase their projects.

Navigating this men’s shoe and accessory website via a single full-page horizontal slider has the feel of browsing a catalog. When users hover over the navigational tools in Giorgio’s horizontal slider, they see a thumbnail preview of the next slide, and sliders cycle through individual connections.

So there you have it – a whole collection of unique implementations of sliders that create compelling user experiences. The slider is a robust, flexible and engaging container that can help showcase work, highlight products, tell a story, or deliver an immersive experience. The best part? Sliders are easy to find and are built as plugins for many platforms.

Of course, we’re a bit biased. As a developer of SlideDeck, WordPress slider, we’re always looking for new, innovative ways to use sliders to bring sites to life. You can find dozens of WordPress slider plugins out there on the market today–there’s sure to be one right for you.

Have a great example of an innovative use of a slider? Let us know in the comments

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