Loading & waiting

Loading states aren't just about spinners, fun animations or the ⚡️ Doherty Threshold.

In the next 5 minutes, you'll learn how one medical study which doubled the efficacy of a placebo treatment, relies on the same technique that product teams use to reduce churn.

For example, of course commuters on the London Underground would appreciate more frequent trains (objective improvement). 

But perhaps the more effective remedy of a morning grumble, was that they installed realtime signs on every platform (perception of experience).

People are happier waiting, for longer, with the confidence of when the next train is arriving.

The world is full of logic-distorting results like this.

Lifts are boring, and in the absence of any distraction, you might focus on the unusual clunking sounds, hoping you're not about to be trapped.

But simply by installing a mirror, people find the experience more enjoyable, because they can take a moment to look at themselves, tidy their hair, or inspect their teeth.

Anyway, let's look at some products.

Firstly, let's tackle the easiest technique: simply adding some variability, or giving the user something to do while they wait.

At the very least it's something to read. When done well, it can feel like 🦧 Tribalism.

For example, Goodreads will show a variety of themed quotes while the app loads.

The food delivery service Zomato have a spin on this, where they display a series of quotes about food (or facts related to the company).

It doesn't have to be text.

When searching for old emails, Chuck uses an animated mascot that scuba dives into a bunch of envelopes to find what you're looking for.

Or, you can fill those few seconds with 🙋‍♂️ Social Proof.

Like Duolingo, who'll show you social-based statistics while you wait, reminding you that millions of other people see value in waiting, so you should too.

Okay, so that's "level 1" strategy: give the user something to look at.

While your photos are uploading to Airbnb, the wait is framed as being "magically" arranged to show off your space.

They're building anticipation.

Or, you can focus on the longer term goal, and build a moment around that.

Take GoDaddy for example. They understand that your action is to buy a domain, but your goal is probably to start a new project or business.

And so, as you're searching for domains, they'll subtly remind you of the bigger picture.

This leads us nicely into our next point: why waiting for a few extra moments can actually be valuable.

Typically, we attribute more value to something, if we believe it's personalised to us.

For example, one scientific study found that the expectation that a medical treatment was personalised, nearly doubled the effects of a placebo.

In other words: if we think something is personalised, we believe it'll be better suited to our needs.

I'm not suggesting the following examples are all faux—I've got no way of knowing. And actually it doesn't matter, the psychology works anyway.

This is why the 'learn to code' app Mimo will take a moment before showing you the dashboard, to put together a "personalised curriculum".

Balance take it a step further, by being specific about the inputs that they're using for personalisation.

This encourages you to spend more time on the app, to give it more data, to get even more personalised outcomes.

Instead of drawing your attention to the inputs, Blinkist will be focus on the outputs.

In other words, they'll make it clear which steps are happening.

The fitness app BetterMe will even tell the user that the experience is being personalised to their busy schedule.

And there's another nuance here: 🏋️‍♀️ The Labour Illusion.

You can see how busy everyone is, and it increases your perception on the value of the food, and by extension how happy you are to wait.

Okay, back to product design.

What's actually happening at the API level doesn't matter. And the steps probably aren't happening in a neat order like they've suggested.

What matters is the user's perception of what's happening, and how it's framed.

The above techniques all work when you're waiting a few seconds for something to happen—but what about if you need to wait longer?

A lot of the time, you'll be waiting for something to happen.

In these instances, it's important to frame expectations. 

If you can't change the wait, or even give them much to do in the meantime, set realistic expectations—like the London Underground example earlier.

This is why Airbnb will give you context about the other person's time zone, so you don't expect an immediate reply.

Fiverr also include an average response time.

Or perhaps you're waiting for a process to finish.

Apple will reassure you that while your Watch is syncing, you're free to use your phone as you normally would.

i.e., you don't need to sit and stare at this progress bar.

This is also why Stripe have made it easy for people to get emailed when an export completes—reducing the pressure to wait.

You'll notice that, in none of the examples above, is the actual process faster.

Rather, they're all different ways of either:

• Making the process feel shorter (by being more distracted)
• Leveraging the delay to build a moment.
• Reframing the experience as being personalised
• Setting expectations of a delay (and reduce anxiety)
• Freeing up your time (instead of simply waiting)