Short answer

Prioritize the top-left 'primary' position for critical conversion items and treat the right side of a carousel as secondary or 'bonus' space that most users will never see.

Field
User-Centred Design
Source
Academic Publication (2025)
Method
Controlled eye-tracking experiment with interaction logging and post-task surveys.
Sample
87 participants
Evidence
Strong effect

The dual-axis navigation of carousels forces a cognitive shift where users prioritize the top-left intersection while ignoring later items in the row, mimicking vertical list behavior despite the horizontal orientation. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Academic Publication. Using Controlled eye-tracking experiment with interaction logging and post-task surveys. with 87 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Prioritize the top-left 'primary' position for critical conversion items and treat the right side of a carousel as secondary or 'bonus' space that most users will never see.

Study
User-Centred DesignNew This WeekStrong effect

Horizontal carousel layouts consolidate visual attention into an F-pattern 'Golden Triangle' during item selection

The dual-axis navigation of carousels forces a cognitive shift where users prioritize the top-left intersection while ignoring later items in the row, mimicking vertical list behavior despite the horizontal orientation.

Academic Publication · 2025

01

Key Findings

  • 01Users exhibit a 'Golden Triangle' gaze pattern, focusing heavily on the top-left items of the grid/carousel set.
  • 02Horizontal scanning is significantly less exhaustive than vertical scanning; users rarely reach the end of a carousel row before moving down.
  • 03Gaze data reveals a strong 'F-pattern' even in interfaces designed for horizontal exploration.
  • 04Click behavior is highly correlated with the first three positions of the first two carousels.
02

Application

Design takeaway

Prioritize the top-left 'primary' position for critical conversion items and treat the right side of a carousel as secondary or 'bonus' space that most users will never see.

How to apply

Audit your landing page carousels: move the primary CTA to the first slide and ensure the most important category row is at the very top of the scroll depth.

Project actions

  • 01Use this to justify why 'infinite' carousels are often ineffective.
  • 02Mention the F-pattern when discussing information architecture for galleries.
  • 03Argue for 'Quality over Quantity' in recommendation rows.
03

Method & Evidence

AimTo understand how users browse, interact with, and process information within carousel-heavy recommender interfaces using eye-tracking and interaction logs.
MethodControlled eye-tracking experiment with interaction logging and post-task surveys.
ProcedureParticipants completed 3 movie selection tasks across 40 different carousel interfaces; researchers recorded gaze patterns, cursor movements, clicks, and requested qualitative explanations for each selection.
Sample87 participants
ContextE-commerce and streaming service recommendation interfaces (e.g., Netflix-style carousels).

Variables

IVLayout of horizontal carousel interfaces (implicitly, the placement of items within these carousels as designed by the researchers based on the 'Golden Triangle' hypothesis).
DVVisual attention patterns (eye-tracking data: gaze duration, fixation points, scan paths), user interaction patterns (cursor movements, clicks), and qualitative user explanations for item selection.
CVNumber of carousel interfaces (40), participant tasks completed (3 movie selection tasks), type of items (movies), and the use of eye-tracking and interaction logging equipment.
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Utilizes robust methodologies including eye-tracking and interaction logs, providing objective quantitative data on user behavior.
  • +Employs a controlled experimental design with a substantial sample size (87 participants), enhancing the generalizability of findings within the tested context.
  • +Investigates a highly relevant and current interface design element (horizontal carousels) prevalent in popular digital platforms.

Limitations

Student prototypes often lack the complex recommendation algorithms used in the study, which might influence how 'relevant' the top-left items feel to a real user.

Reliability & validity

Reliability is likely high due to the controlled nature of the experiment and objective measurements from eye-tracking and interaction logs. Validity is strong for the specific context of movie selection interfaces but may be limited for other task types or device platforms (as noted in limitations). Ecological validity could be moderate, as real-world interfaces are complex, but the controlled nature helps isolate specific design elements.

Think critically

If the 'F-pattern' is dominant even in horizontal carousels, why do major platforms like Netflix continue to use horizontal scrolling instead of vertical lists?

05

Design Principles

"Horizontal Hierarchy Decay"

Users experience higher cognitive load when scanning horizontal rows compared to vertical lists. Understanding that eye gaze clusters at the start of a carousel allows designers to strategically place high-value items where they are guaranteed to be seen, rather than assuming users scan the full horizontal width.

06

What This Means for Your Design

Even though carousels look like they should be read left-to-right, our eyes mostly get stuck in the top-left corner. We browse them like a triangle, not a line.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Cite De León-Martínez (2025) to justify the placement of primary navigation or products in the top-left quadrant.
  • 2.Use the 'Golden Triangle' concept to explain user drop-off in horizontal galleries.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

According to research by De León-Martínez et al. (2025), users interacting with carousel interfaces exhibit a 'Golden Triangle' gaze pattern, meaning visual attention is heavily concentrated in the top-left area regardless of the horizontal layout.

09

Source

Academic Publication

RecGaze: The First Eye Tracking and User Interaction Dataset for Carousel Interfaces

journal · 2025

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about horizontal carousel layouts consolidate visual attention into an f-pattern 'golden triangle' during item selection?
Prioritize the top-left 'primary' position for critical conversion items and treat the right side of a carousel as secondary or 'bonus' space that most users will never see. Evidence: Academic Publication (2025).
Why does "Horizontal carousel layouts consolidate visual attention into an F-pattern 'Golden Triangle' during item selection" matter for design?
Users experience higher cognitive load when scanning horizontal rows compared to vertical lists. Understanding that eye gaze clusters at the start of a carousel allows designers to strategically place high-value items where they are guaranteed to be seen, rather than assuming users scan the full horizontal width.
How can designers apply this research?
Prioritize the top-left 'primary' position for critical conversion items and treat the right side of a carousel as secondary or 'bonus' space that most users will never see.
What were the main findings?
Users exhibit a 'Golden Triangle' gaze pattern, focusing heavily on the top-left items of the grid/carousel set.. Horizontal scanning is significantly less exhaustive than vertical scanning; users rarely reach the end of a carousel row before moving down.. Gaze data reveals a strong 'F-pattern' even in interfaces designed for horizontal exploration.. Click behavior is highly correlated with the first three positions of the first two carousels.
What research method was used?
Controlled eye-tracking experiment with interaction logging and post-task surveys. with 87 participants.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from Academic Publication.
What should I do differently in my next project?
Audit your landing page carousels: move the primary CTA to the first slide and ensure the most important category row is at the very top of the scroll depth.
What are the limitations?
Findings are based on movie selection (high-intent/visual task); patterns may differ for purely utilitarian tasks or on mobile devices where swiping behavior changes scanning.