On several implementations I've worked with, loading times can be as high as four seconds for the start page. When all reasonable options are done, is it possible to distract the user to make the application seem faster than it really is? In short: If you can't improve loading time, is distracting the user a good technique?
Answer
I'm assuming this question was incited by: How and when should you use animation in your application?
I definitely do believe that if loading time cannot be improved, distraction is a good technique.
Examples:
github.com , as well as the popularity of having interlaced .png's. Maybe the term "distracting" would only apply to stuff below 750ms, and after that, you're essentially letting the user know, "Hey, we got your input, and we're working on it." E.g. If you give a user an old computer running Windows, and ask them to open up a shortcut on the desktop, most people unfamiliar with the UI will begin to mash the icon furiously when the app takes a few seconds to load, similarly, if a user prints something, and no sound is made by the printer after a handful of seconds, the user becomes frustrated, and begins furiously printing over and over again, thinking that the printer didn't get their input.
It's like if you asked somebody a difficult math question, and their facial expression did not change, and they just stood silent for a couple of seconds thinking about the answer, before answering your question, you would likely think "Okay, they didn't hear me, I'm going to ask again". There is of course moderation, and if it takes less than 50ms it probably should not have an animation, as the user does not even notice the loading time, this varies based on your target audience, and the UI, and the animation, so take the specific numbers I gave you with a grain of salt, and play around with different times, to create a balance that makes your application seem both responsive and seamless.
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