![]() Skeleton screens are miles ahead in terms of keeping the user engaged while they wait. Let’s compare the two approaches, as well as identify the best use case for each technique. Another common technique to indicate loading is the spinner. loading spinnersĪ skeleton screen is one of a few different loading indicators used in web and app design. Without a skeleton screen, users are more likely to get frustrated with a poor loading experience and abandon the website or app. Users expect a dynamic loading experience that reassures them of progress being made. Nowadays, companies use skeleton screens across many websites and applications. It aimed to turn frustration into anticipation as the skeleton provided users with visual cues of what would come next: Source: Engineering at Meta With so many elements on the page and different sections loading at different times, sites introduced the skeleton screen to progressively display content to the user while keeping them engaged. This required a better loading experience than a simple spinner or blank screen: Amazon homepage with 15 tabs (2000) (Source: Version Museum) Ecommerce sites like Amazon and eBay emerged, which featured busy, complex interfaces. Websites lacked graphics or multimedia content due to slow loading times, since back in the day, users primarily accessed the internet through dial-up connections.Īs high-speed internet became more accessible, websites began incorporating more images and introduced video. The designs were straightforward, often utilizing tables as layouts and focusing on functionality over aesthetics. In the early days of the internet, websites were mostly text-based with limited graphical elements. Each piece of loaded content is like a way of keeping the users’ attention and preventing them from abandoning the website or app: Source: Boldist Brief history of skeleton screens The skeleton or structure of the page gives users a sense of what the page will look like while it loads.Īs loaded content starts appearing, it provides a sense of progress while keeping users engaged and less frustrated. Our attention spans are shorter than ever and skeleton screens serve to keep it. This technique provides users with a more engaging experience than facing a loading spinner or blank screen. Instead of displaying a blank screen or using a traditional loading spinner, a skeleton screen shows users an outline or wireframe of the page’s layout and structure while the actual content is still being loaded in the background.Īs the content loads, the placeholders in the skeleton screen will update with the actual interface until the entire page is loaded: Source: Dribbble What is a skeleton screen?Ī skeleton screen is a technique for web and app design to address the challenge of page loading times. In this article, we’ll talk about a brief history of skeleton screens, their usage today, how they differ from loading spinners, and best practices for using skeleton screens in your website or application. This technique is best used when loading webpages with multiple elements on the screen to give users a visual indication of progress and an illusion that the loading time is less than it is. Instead, you can use a skeleton screen to create a more engaging loading experience. They also emphasize expected wait time, while users don’t want to have to wait when they open a web page. ![]() While a progress bar is primarily used for specific tasks or actions, they are often inaccurate in showing completion percentage. These experiences not only create bored and impatient users, but they often don’t show any signs of loading progress. We wouldn’t have to wait on empty pages or face the dreaded “ spinning wheel of death” on macOS. In a perfect world, every webpage and application would load immediately. ![]()
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