Design comprehensive loading states and skeleton screens that reduce perceived wait times and maintain user engagement during content loading. This prompt helps create consistent, performance-optimized placeholders that improve user experience across web and mobile applications.
Use this prompt to create a complete loading state design system that improves perceived performance and user engagement. Fill in the bracketed sections with your specific project details to receive tailored skeleton screen patterns, animation specifications, and implementation guidelines optimized for your content types and network conditions.
Analyze your application's content hierarchy before designing skeleton screens. Text-heavy applications need varied width rectangles mimicking paragraph structures, while image-heavy apps require proportional media containers. Data-rich dashboards benefit from table and chart outline skeletons. The skeleton should closely match the final layout's size, spacing, and hierarchical relationships to establish accurate user mental models and reduce cognitive load when real content appears.
Choose animation styles based on load duration expectations. For loads under 1 second, use subtle pulse animations or no animation at all. For 1-3 second loads, implement shimmer or wave effects with 1.5-2 second cycles using ease-in-out easing. Research shows skeleton screens with appropriate animations can extend tolerable wait times by 30-40%. Always provide smooth fade-in transitions from skeleton to real content to maintain visual continuity and avoid jarring switches.
Implement smart loading strategies that activate only when needed. Use navigator.connection API to detect slow network conditions and enable skeleton screens only when estimated load time exceeds 500ms. For long pages, prioritize viewport-visible skeletons using Intersection Observer for lazy loading. Consider staggered loading where elements appear sequentially rather than simultaneously, creating a wave-like effect that feels more natural and maintains user attention.
Keep skeleton implementations lightweight to avoid becoming performance bottlenecks themselves. Use CSS transforms and opacity for animations rather than layout-affecting properties. Implement prefers-reduced-motion media queries to respect user accessibility preferences. Include appropriate ARIA labels indicating loading status for screen readers. Ensure skeleton screens work seamlessly with server-side rendering and maintain consistent behavior across all target devices and browsers.
You are an expert UI/UX designer specializing in motion design and animation specifications. Create comprehensive animation and transition specifications for [PROJECT NAME OR INTERFACE TYPE]. Project Context: - Platform: [WEB/MOBILE APP/DESKTOP/CROSS-PLATFORM] - Design System: [MATERIAL DESIGN/FLUENT/CUSTOM/OTHER] - Target Audience: [USER DEMOGRAPHIC AND TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY] - Performance Constraints: [DEVICE CAPABILITIES, BANDWIDTH CONSIDERATIONS] Generate detailed specifications covering: 1. **Duration Standards** - Micro-interactions (buttons, toggles, hovers) - Medium transitions (modals, dropdowns, notifications) - Large transitions (page changes, screen transitions) - Loading states and progress indicators 2. **Easing Functions** - Entry animations (elements appearing) - Exit animations (elements disappearing) - Emphasis animations (drawing attention) - Interactive feedback animations 3. **Animation Behaviors** - Fade specifications (opacity transitions) - Scale transformations (size changes) - Movement patterns (directional motion) - Combined animations (multi-property transitions) 4. **Implementation Guidelines** - CSS/JavaScript specifications - Accessibility considerations (prefers-reduced-motion) - Performance optimization techniques - Fallback behaviors for low-performance devices 5. **Use Cases and Examples** - Navigation transitions - Form feedback animations - Content loading patterns - Error and success states - Contextual overlays and modals For each specification, provide: - Exact timing values in milliseconds - Easing curve specifications (cubic-bezier values or named curves) - Properties being animated - Rationale for the chosen approach - Code snippets or pseudo-code where applicable Ensure all specifications prioritize user experience, maintain consistency across the interface, and follow accessibility best practices.
You are an expert UI/UX designer specializing in error state and empty state design. Create a comprehensive design system for error states and empty states for [PROJECT NAME OR APPLICATION TYPE]. Project Context: - Platform: [WEB/MOBILE APP/DESKTOP/CROSS-PLATFORM] - Application Type: [E-COMMERCE/SAAS/SOCIAL MEDIA/PRODUCTIVITY/CONTENT PLATFORM] - User Technical Proficiency: [BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED/MIXED] - Brand Voice and Tone: [PROFESSIONAL/FRIENDLY/PLAYFUL/EMPATHETIC/TECHNICAL] - Critical User Flows: [LIST KEY WORKFLOWS THAT NEED ERROR HANDLING] Generate detailed specifications covering: 1. **Error State Classification System** - Severity levels (informational, warning, error, critical) - Error types (user input errors, system errors, network errors, permission errors) - Impact assessment (blocking vs non-blocking errors) - Recovery complexity (self-recoverable vs requires intervention) 2. **Error State Design Patterns** - Inline validation errors (form fields, real-time feedback) - Toast notifications and dismissible alerts (temporary, non-critical) - Banner messages (persistent warnings, system-wide issues) - Modal dialogs (critical errors requiring immediate attention) - Full-screen error pages (404, 500, no connection) - Contextual error indicators (icons, color, borders) 3. **Error Message Guidelines** - Clear headline structure (what went wrong) - Human-readable explanations (avoiding technical jargon) - Actionable next steps (specific guidance for recovery) - Tone and voice alignment (empathetic, non-blaming language) - Progressive disclosure (basic message + expandable details) - Accessibility compliance (ARIA labels, screen reader support) 4. **Visual Design Specifications** - Color palette (error red, warning amber, info blue with WCAG contrast ratios) - Iconography (alert symbols, illustration styles) - Typography hierarchy (headlines, body text, action links) - Spacing and layout principles - Animation and transitions (shake effects, fade-ins, attention-drawing) - Dark mode adaptations 5. **Empty State Design Patterns** - First-use empty states (onboarding, getting started) - User-cleared empty states (intentionally deleted content) - No-results empty states (search, filters returning nothing) - Permission-based empty states (access denied, locked features) - Completed-task empty states (inbox zero, completed todos) - Error-driven empty states (failed to load content) 6. **Empty State Components** - Illustrative imagery (custom illustrations vs icons vs imagery) - Headline and description copy (encouraging, educational) - Call-to-action buttons (primary actions to populate state) - Alternative pathways (secondary options, educational links) - Educational content (feature discovery, usage tips) - Success state transitions (congratulatory messaging) 7. **Content Strategy for Each State** - Messaging framework (headline + explanation + action) - Personality and brand voice integration - Microcopy guidelines (button labels, helper text) - Localization considerations - User education opportunities - Humor and delight appropriateness (when suitable) 8. **Implementation Guidelines** - Error severity decision tree - Pattern selection flowchart (when to use which pattern) - Responsive behavior across devices - Error logging and analytics tracking - Retry mechanisms and fallback strategies - Performance considerations (lightweight error states) 9. **Specific Error Scenarios** - Form validation errors (per-field and form-level) - Network connectivity issues - Session timeout and authentication errors - Server errors (500, 503) - Page not found (404) - Permissions and authorization failures - Payment and transaction failures - File upload errors - Rate limiting and quota exceeded 10. **Testing and Validation** - Error state checklist for designers and developers - User testing scenarios - Accessibility audit requirements - Edge case coverage - Error message content review criteria For each specification, provide: - Visual layout descriptions or wireframe concepts - Exact copy examples with variations - CSS color codes and styling specifications - Rationale based on UX research and best practices - Real-world examples from successful products - Accessibility requirements and ARIA attributes - Implementation code snippets or pseudo-code Ensure all designs prioritize user empathy, provide clear recovery paths, maintain brand consistency, and follow WCAG accessibility standards. Transform potentially frustrating moments into opportunities for engagement, education, and trust-building.
You are an expert UI/UX design system architect with extensive experience in creating scalable, accessible, and maintainable design systems and component libraries. Create a comprehensive design system and component library for [PROJECT/PRODUCT NAME] that serves [TARGET USERS/TEAM SIZE]. The design system should support [PLATFORM/TECHNOLOGY STACK] and align with [BRAND/DESIGN PHILOSOPHY]. ## Core Requirements: 1. **Design Principles & Foundation** - Define [NUMBER] core design principles that reflect [BRAND VALUES/PRODUCT GOALS] - Establish design tokens for colors, typography, spacing, and elevation - Create a cohesive visual language that ensures [SPECIFIC CONSISTENCY GOALS] 2. **Component Library Structure** - Design [SPECIFY COMPONENT TYPES: e.g., buttons, forms, navigation, modals, cards, data tables] - Include component variants, states (default, hover, active, disabled, error), and responsive behaviors - Ensure WCAG 2.2 AA compliance with proper ARIA labels, semantic HTML, and keyboard navigation - Provide [LIGHT/DARK/BOTH] theme support 3. **Documentation Requirements** - Component usage guidelines with do's and don'ts - Code snippets for [FRAMEWORK: React, Vue, Angular, Web Components, etc.] - Accessibility implementation notes and screen reader compatibility - Visual examples showing component applications in real contexts 4. **Technical Specifications** - Design tokens in [FORMAT: CSS variables, JSON, SASS, etc.] - Responsive breakpoints for [DEVICE TARGETS] - Grid system with [COLUMN COUNT] columns - Naming conventions following [BEM/ATOMIC/CUSTOM] methodology 5. **Governance & Maintenance** - Version control strategy and update process - Contribution guidelines for team members - Quality assurance checklist for new components - Roles and responsibilities (owner, contributors, review board) Deliver the design system with: - A style guide covering typography hierarchy, color palette with contrast ratios, spacing scale, and iconography - A component library with at least [NUMBER] reusable components organized by category - Pattern library addressing common design solutions like navigation flows, forms, and data display - Figma/Sketch files or code repository structure for [DESIGN TOOL/DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT] - An onboarding guide for new team members Ensure the design system achieves measurable outcomes including component reuse rate above 70%, WCAG compliance, style consistency within 5% variance, and reduced design-to-development handoff time.