The effects of visual feedback designs on long wait time of mobile application user interface

Recent applications on mobile devices have increased the dependence of the user on visual feedback for effective interaction with the interface. When loading an application, a user may encounter a long wait time which is generally inevitable and is viewed as the primary negative emotion sources from the user interface. This study conducted a 2 × 3 mixed factorial design to explore whether different feedback types of wait indicators (i.e. bar and cartoon-bar designs) and feedback velocities (i.e. constant, accelerate, and decelerate progress speeds) may affect user’s time perception and wait evaluations. Twenty-four young adults participated in this study. The experimental data were collected through a time estimation and a 7-point Likert scale. The generated results revealed that: (i) Participants’ time estimation could be shortened when they encountered the ‘decelerate’ progress speed. (ii) Participants’ time estimation and perceived speed might not always be consistent. (iii) The feedback type of ‘cartoon-bar’ might not significantly reduce participants’ time perception. Nonetheless, the ‘cartoon-bar’ type significantly improve participants’ wait evaluations. (iv) The feedback progress speeds positively correlated with wait evaluations by participants. The visual feedback designs affect the user’s time estimation and wait evaluations. The progress bar with lovely elements can improve user’s wait experiences. The progress speed of ‘decelerate’ can reduce the user’s time estimation. User’s time estimation and perceived speed might not always be consistent. User’s perceived speed positively correlated with their wait evaluations.