Level: Intermediate
A well-designed loading indicator manages expectations and reduces perceived frustration, even when it can't actually make the underlying process faster.
Indeterminate vs. Determinate Indicators Serve Different Situations
A determinate progress bar works well when actual progress can be measured, while an indeterminate spinner is more honest for processes where progress genuinely can't be predicted.
Longer Waits Benefit From More Context
For processes taking more than a couple of seconds, providing some indication of what's happening, rather than a bare spinner, helps maintain patience.
Avoid Loading Indicators for Near-Instant Actions
Adding an unnecessary loading indicator to an action that completes almost immediately can paradoxically make the interface feel slower than providing no indicator at all.
Next step: Use the Website Screenshot Generator to capture your current loading states across the site to review whether they're providing appropriate context for their actual wait times.