Loading state
What the screen shows while it's waiting for something, so people know the app is working.
What it is
A loading state covers the gap between asking for something and getting it. Without one, people click again, assume it's broken, or leave.
There are a few flavors: a spinner for short, unknown waits; a progress bar for longer tasks where you know how far along you are; and a skeleton screen for content that's loading into a known layout. Buttons should show a small spinner while their action runs, without changing size.
Say which kind you want and where it appears.
How to ask for it
“When you click generate, nothing happens for a while and people click it again.”
“Add a loading state to the Generate button: replace the label with a spinner (keeping the button the same width) and disable it until the result arrives. Show a skeleton where the result will appear.”
The weak prompt describes the symptom; "loading state" names the fix and the prompt picks the spinner, the disabled state, and the skeleton.
You've seen this in
- AThe spinner on a "Pay" button at checkout
- YYouTube's red progress line at the top
- GUpload progress bars in Google Drive