How this skill behaves (read first)
This is a generative skill. The default failure modes: one spinner for everything (a full-page spinner whether the wait is 1 second or 60), no endpoint when one exists (indeterminate loops for measurable tasks), and progress theater (trackers on 2-step forms, percentages that lie). The feedback type is determined by wait duration and task structure — and a loader's real job is shaping perceived time, not decorating it. This skill gates:
- Establish the wait type — how long, is it measurable, what initiated it, is it a multi-step journey?
- Apply the always-true core — the duration ladder, placement, state visibility.
- Surface the context-dependent decisions (skeletons, custom animation, tracker labeling, save/autosave) with trade-offs.
Then it hands off to ux-heuristics-audit, ux-accessibility-audit, ux-aesthetics-audit, and ux-microcopy-audit for validation.
Step 0 — Establish the wait type
Four questions pick the indicator:
- How long is the wait? <1s → often no indicator needed; 1–5s → indeterminate (spinner/text); ~10s+ → determinate with a visible endpoint; long/variable content loads → skeleton.
- Is progress measurable? If the system can know completion % (upload, export), users get a determinate indicator — an endless spinner on a measurable task reads as "maybe broken."
- What triggered it? A user click (button) → inline feedback at the action; content loading → skeleton in the content's place; a background process → unobtrusive.
- Is it a multi-step user journey (form, checkout, onboarding) rather than a system wait? → progress tracker, not loader — different component, different rules (below).
The always-apply core (correct for almost every case)
The duration ladder (loaders)
- 1–5s: indeterminate — spinner, or a text loader ("Saving…") with a subtle animation (pulsing dots). Never let a looped animation run past ~5s — looping with no endpoint is where frustration starts.
- 10s+: determinate — progress bar or filling circle with a clear endpoint; add a percentage label for precision on long tasks.
- Content loads: skeleton screens — placeholders mimicking the coming layout (text blocks, image areas), filled sequentially top-to-bottom. They beat spinners on perceived speed because they promise structure.
- No full-page spinners. They give zero sense of progress and suggest malfunction. Spinners live small and inline: in a button after click, in a table row, beside the thing that's loading.
Placement = meaning
- Near the action that started it (inline with the submit button), on the content that's loading (overlay/skeleton), or centered only when the entire page is genuinely loading.
- In-button progress: the button shows a spinner and becomes unclickable — feedback and double-submit prevention in one move.
Progress trackers (multi-step journeys)
- Three states, always visible: completed (checkmark/green), current (visually distinct — the "you are here" pin), remaining (muted, activating on arrival).
- Label the steps — titles restore context for users who got distracted and make the journey scannable.
- 5–7 steps maximum. A tracker doesn't shorten a form; if steps multiply, the flow needs restructuring, not a longer tracker.
- A tracker is feedback, not decoration: it serves visibility of system status — users should always know what they did, where they are, and what's left.
The context-dependent decisions (surface, don't auto-apply)
| Decision | Apply when | Avoid / adapt when | Default recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skeleton vs. spinner for content | Layout-known content (feeds, cards, tables) — skeletons cut perceived wait | Tiny, instant loads (skeleton flash looks broken) | Skeleton for content areas; inline spinner for actions |
| Progress tracker at all | ≥3 logical stages (checkout, surveys, registration) | Short forms — a tracker on 2 steps adds ceremony | Numbered/labeled steps from 3 stages up |
| Tracker labeling: titles vs. numbers vs. % | Titles for scannability; numbers/% for motivation on long journeys | Percentages that jump erratically (trust killer) | Titles + step count; % only when it maps honestly to effort |
| Bar vs. numbered steps | Bar for short journeys (overall progress feel); steps for ≥3 distinct milestones | Bars pretending precision they don't have | Steps for forms; bar for processing |
| Carousel trackers (dots) | Onboarding/walkthroughs with few skippable screens | Directional, non-skippable flows | Dots for walkthroughs only |
| Vertical trackers | Status timelines (delivery tracking, application stages) | Standard form navigation | Vertical for event/status histories |
| Save / autosave progress | Any journey over a couple of minutes | Relying on the tracker alone to retain users | Autosave + return-to-last-step for long flows |
| Custom branded loaders | Brand moments where the wait is unavoidable; determinate/indeterminate decided first | Novelty that obscures progress | Function first, personality second |
Validate the result (orchestration)
Hand-offs name each lens by its installable skill
name. Invoke one only if that skill is installed; if it isn't, this skill's own core already carries these rules — proceed without it rather than blocking.
After generating or revising, hand the result to the audit lenses rather than declaring it done. These are candidate lenses — posture is set by docs/orchestration-policy.md, or route the whole thing through ux-design-review. Here, heuristics and microcopy are Tier A (auto-run); accessibility, aesthetics, and mobile-responsiveness are Tier B (offered) — under an existing design system aesthetics is suppressed and accessibility narrows to usage; mobile-responsiveness applies only on mobile. If the user invoked this skill for one specific thing, respect that scope.
ux-heuristics-audit(Tier A) — visibility of system status is this component's entire reason to exist; also error prevention (disabled buttons during processing).ux-accessibility-audit(Tier B — offer; narrow under a design system) — loading states announced to screen readers, animation respecting reduced-motion preferences, contrast of muted tracker steps.ux-aesthetics-audit(Tier B — offer; suppress under a design system) — skeleton fidelity to real layout, animation restraint, tracker visual hierarchy.ux-microcopy-audit(Tier A) — text-loader wording, step labels, percentage/status phrasing.ux-mobile-responsiveness-audit(Tier B — offer; applies only on mobile) — when the context is mobile: tracker compression, skeleton reflow.
If the audits surface a conflict (e.g., brand animation vs. perceived speed), resolve back toward the primary task: the user is waiting — every design choice either shortens that wait perceptually or lengthens it.
Common do/don't patterns
| ❌ Don't | ✅ Do |
|---|---|
| Full-page spinner for everything | Inline spinners, skeletons for content, centered only for true page loads |
| Looping spinner on a 60-second upload | Determinate bar with endpoint + percentage |
| Spinner where the layout is known | Skeleton screens, filled sequentially |
| Clickable button while its action processes | In-button spinner, button disabled |
| Loader floating far from its cause | Feedback at the action or on the content |
| Progress tracker on a 2-step form | Trackers from 3 stages; short forms stay plain |
| Unlabeled tracker dots | Step titles + clear completed/current/remaining states |
| 11-step tracker as a fix for a bloated form | 5–7 steps max; restructure the flow |
| % that jumps 10→80→82→… | Honest progress mapping, or use steps |
| Long form with no save | Autosave + return to the last step |
| Ship without checking | Hand off to heuristics + accessibility + aesthetics + microcopy |