WSC 2026 2. Progress not Regress

history of the progress bar

Ashley Feinberg

• Brad A Myers present paper on percent done progress indicators

• like a placebo button like crosswalks - people like them

indeterminate progress bar

graphical control elements visualizing the progression of an extended computer operation

• when progress of task cannot be determined

• Karol Adamiecki developed harmonogram progress chart

• reduced anciety influencing perception of duration

splash screen

window containing an image, logo, and version of the software - appear when program is launching

• used by large applications - enhances look

• can increase wait time for content

console output

text data a program send to a terminal, command prompt, or brownser console during execution

• developers to monitor program behavior

• useful for debugging but cluttering

skeleton screen

UI design technique to indicate the loading state by mimicking the final UI structure with animated visual placeholders

• prevents abandoning site, but increases development time

throbber

animated graphical control element used to show that a computer program is performing an action in the background

• spinning wheel

Placebo Buttons

non-functioning mechanisms that motivate you to fool yourself

• ex. elevator buttons, cross-walk signs, thermostat buttons

• by David McRaney

Why waiting is tortue

experience of waiting is defined by the length of the weight + occupied time feels shorter than unoccupied time

• Richard Larson

• airports move arrival gates further away so people walk instead of wait

How Progress Indicators Affect User Engagement

Anthony Perrotta

• progress bars reassure users that the system is working towards completing the talk

• progress feedback fast to slow - poeple more likely to continue

Endowed Progress Effect

People are motivated to complete a task if they feel they have already made some progress towards it, even if it is artificially created

• sunk cost fallacy

Ridge Racer

company Namco included a minigame of arcade classic Galaxian to keep user engagement during long load times

Dinosaur Game

offline game for people to play when the internet was down, didnt want bugs to affect UX

• created by Edward Jung

gross domestic product

total market value of all final good and services which are produced by a country/countries

• does not account for income distribution

gross national income

gross domestic product + net income citizens and businesses earn abroad - minus income foreign residents earn domestically

• created by Simon Kuznets

gini coefficient

measure of the income/consumption inequality within a national group

• 0 means perfect equality and 1 is maximum inequality

human development index

index of life expectancy, education, and per capita income to rank countries into 4 tiers of human development

multidimensional poverty index

range of indicators to calcuate a summary poverty figure for a given population

• proportion of the population deemed poor and “breadth” of poverty

labor productivity

compares economic output against the amount of labor required to produce that output

• depends on saving and investment in physical capital, new technology, human capital

happiness index

article and rankings of national happiness based on respondent ratings of their own lives + correlation with various quality of life factors

• Finland ranked #1

• Cantril ladder - ladder with best and worst life scales

passport index

annual global ranking of countries according to travel freedom allowed by those countries ordinary passports

• passport strength with global mobility, economic power

• doesnt measure life quality

big mac index

measuring the purchasing power parity between two currencies and market exchange rates from the same cost goods

• Pam Woodall

• currency under/over-valuation

• how far money goes in different economies

“Surely the World is Growing Better”

Will Crawford(1909)

• satirical early 20th-century illustration portraying a chaotic, technologically advanced naval battle

  • rapid dangerous advancements, prewar anxiety