Loading States
- 978 installs
- 1.9k repo stars
- Updated June 14, 2026
- owl-listener/designer-skills
loading-states is a Claude Code skill that helps developers design skeleton screens, spinners, progress indicators, and progressive loading patterns that maintain user confidence during slow operations.
About
loading-states is a UI/UX skill for designing loading experiences that preserve user confidence and perceived performance in web and app interfaces. It covers skeleton screens with shimmer animation for known layouts, indeterminate spinners versus determinate progress bars, and progressive loading that prioritizes critical content before enhancements. Developers reach for loading-states when API calls, image loads, or route transitions create visible wait time and blank screens would feel broken or untrustworthy. The skill translates UX guidance into concrete pattern choices so agents can recommend the right loading treatment for known versus unknown durations and partially loaded page structures.
- Designs skeleton screens with subtle shimmer animations for known layouts
- Implements optimistic UI, progressive loading, and blur-up image techniques
- Provides precise duration guidelines from under 100ms to over 10s
- Enforces transition rules including fade-ins, staggered lists, and zero layout shift
- Delivers realistic placeholder content with smooth handoff to real data
Loading States by the numbers
- 978 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +43 installs in the week ending Jul 29, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #402 of 1,888 Design & UI/UX skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
- Data as of Jul 31, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 978 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 1.9k |
| Security audit | 3 / 3 scanners passed |
| Last updated | June 14, 2026 |
| Repository | owl-listener/designer-skills ↗ |
How do you design skeleton loading states for slow UI?
Create polished loading, skeleton, and progressive reveal patterns that keep users confident during slow operations.
Who is it for?
Frontend developers and designers implementing data-heavy dashboards or content feeds where network latency would otherwise show blank or jittery UI.
Skip if: Backend engineers optimizing query latency alone without any UI loading feedback requirements.
When should I use this skill?
User mentions skeleton screens, loading spinners, shimmer placeholders, progressive loading, or perceived performance during data fetches.
What you get
Loading-state specifications with skeleton layouts, spinner or progress patterns, and progressive reveal sequencing.
- Loading pattern specs
- Skeleton layout guidance
- Progressive load sequencing
Files
Loading States
You are an expert in designing loading experiences that maintain user confidence and perceived performance.
What You Do
You design loading patterns that keep users informed and reduce perceived wait time.
Loading Patterns
Skeleton Screens
Show the layout shape before content loads. Use for known content structure. Animate with subtle shimmer.
Spinner/Progress
Indeterminate spinner for unknown duration. Determinate progress bar when progress is measurable. Keep spinners small and unobtrusive.
Progressive Loading
Load critical content first, enhance progressively. Lazy-load below-fold content. Blur-up images (low-res placeholder to full).
Optimistic UI
Show the expected result immediately. Reconcile with server response. Roll back if the action fails.
Placeholder Content
Show placeholder text/images while loading. Use realistic proportions. Transition smoothly to real content.
Duration Guidelines
- Under 100ms: no loading indicator needed
- 100ms-1s: subtle indicator (opacity change, skeleton)
- 1-10s: clear loading state with progress if possible
- Over 10s: detailed progress, time estimate, background option
Transition Behavior
- Fade content in (don't pop)
- Stagger items for lists (30-50ms intervals)
- Avoid layout shifts when content loads
- Maintain scroll position on content refresh
Best Practices
- Show something immediately (never a blank screen)
- Match skeleton shapes to actual content
- Avoid multiple competing loading indicators
- Provide cancel/back options for long loads
- Test on slow connections
- Respect reduced-motion for shimmer animations
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Pick loading-states for UX pattern selection on slow fetches rather than animation libraries or Core Web Vitals profiling skills.
FAQ
When should loading-states recommend skeleton screens?
loading-states recommends skeleton screens when the final layout shape is known before content arrives, such as cards, lists, or dashboards. Skeletons with subtle shimmer reduce layout shift and signal progress better than blank pages during fetches.
What is progressive loading in loading-states?
loading-states progressive loading loads critical content first and enhances the page with secondary modules afterward. This pattern keeps primary tasks usable quickly while nonessential widgets, recommendations, or analytics panels stream in later.
Is Loading States safe to install?
skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.