Time for a change: Reducing perceived waiting time by making it more active

Abstract

When one has to wait for a system to respond this is mediated by spinners, progress bars, skeleton-screens and other means. This project studies experiencing longer waits along the lines of ”no activity” (progress bar), ”passive waiting” (reading) and ”active waiting” (doing something). For the latter, a novel method is introduced: users swipe an image and content underneath unveils, as if it were a scratch card. A between-subjects experiment (n=410) was conducted using a mobile website in 3 conditions to gauge the effects on estimated waiting time and enjoyment. The “no activity” and “active waiting” conditions were estimated faster than the “passive waiting” condition. The “passive” and “active” waiting condition were more enjoyable than the “no activity” condition. When combining waiting time estimation (short is preferable) and enjoyment (higher is preferable) the “active waiting” condition yielded better results.