Creating Loading Skeletons in Your App
Hello, coding enthusiasts! If you’ve ever found yourself waiting for an app to load and staring at a blank screen, you know just how frustrating that can be. But what if I told you there’s a way to keep your users engaged and enhance their experience even while data is loading? Enter loading skeletons, the unsung heroes of user interface design.
In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to create loading skeletons for your app. By the end, you’ll be able to create skeleton screens that keep your users engaged and offer a polished transition to fully-loaded content. Let’s dive in!
What Are Loading Skeletons?
Loading skeletons, or skeleton screens, are placeholders that mimic the layout of your content while it’s loading. Instead of showing a blank screen or a spinning wheel, skeleton screens give users a preview of where content will appear, creating an ongoing sense of progress.
They typically look like gray or light-colored boxes and lines where text, images, and other UI elements will eventually load.
Why Use Skeleton Screens?
- Improved Perception of Speed: Users perceive apps that use skeleton screens as faster, even if they’re not. This is because they see content being prepared, which psychologically indicates progress.
- Better User Experience: Users know exactly which parts of the app are loading and where content will appear.
- Consistency: Skeleton screens provide a consistent design, reducing abrupt changes once real content loads.
How to Create Skeleton Screens
Let’s start by creating a simple skeleton screen for a blog post using HTML, CSS, and a bit of JavaScript. If this sounds intimidating, don’t worry. We’ll go step-by-step.
Step 1: Setting Up the Project
Create a new folder for your project and inside, create the following files:
index.htmlstyles.cssscript.js
Step 2: The HTML Structure
Open index.html and add this basic structure:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Skeleton Loader</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
<div class="skeleton-container">
<div class="skeleton-image"></div>
<div class="skeleton-title"></div>
<div class="skeleton-text"></div>
<div class="skeleton-text"></div>
<div class="skeleton-text"></div>
</div>
<script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Step 3: Adding the CSS
Open styles.css and add:
body {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
height: 100vh;
background-color: #f0f0f0;
}
.skeleton-container {
width: 300px;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 20px;
background: white;
border-radius: 5px;
box-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
}
.skeleton-image, .skeleton-title, .skeleton-text {
background-color: #e0e0e0;
border-radius: 4px;
margin: 10px 0;
}
.skeleton-image {
width: 100%;
height: 150px;
}
.skeleton-title {
width: 70%;
height: 20px;
}
.skeleton-text {
width: 90%;
height: 15px;
}
Step 4: Adding Animation
Enhance the skeletons with a shimmer animation. Add this to styles.css:
@keyframes shimmer {
0% {
background-position: -150px 0;
}
100% {
background-position: 150px 0;
}
}
.skeleton-container > div {
background: linear-gradient(100deg, #e0e0e0 20%, #f0f0f0 40%, #e0e0e0 60%);
background-size: 200% 100%;
animation: shimmer 1.5s infinite;
}
Step 5: Loading Real Content
Use JavaScript to simulate data loading. In script.js, add:
// Simulate loading data
setTimeout(() => {
const container = document.querySelector('.skeleton-container');
container.innerHTML = `
<img src="https://via.placeholder.com/300x150" alt="Post Image" />
<h2>Loaded Blog Post Title</h2>
<p>This is the first paragraph of the blog post. It has successfully loaded!</p>
<p>Here’s some more content, showcasing the full transition from skeleton screen to real data.</p>
<p>Thanks for your patience while we load the good stuff. 😊</p>
`;
}, 3000);
Conclusion
And there you have it! You’ve just created a simple loading skeleton for your app. With this foundation, you can craft more complex skeletons to match the layout and design of your applications.
Remember, the goal of skeleton screens is not just to fill spaces while content loads, but to enhance the user’s perception of speed and maintain engagement.
Practice Ideas
- Color Variations: Match skeleton colors to your app’s theme.
- Enhanced Animation: Try different shimmer effects or subtle pulse animations.
- Complex Layouts: Create skeletons for lists, cards, or full dashboards.
Keep experimenting and make sure to share your creations with us. Happy coding!