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Skeleton screen 0:34
A 34-second explainer of Skeleton screen, narrated over the same demo you can try yourself.
Try the interactive Skeleton screen demo
What this video covers
A skeleton screen is a placeholder that shows the anticipated structure of content while it loads - grey blocks where text and images will appear - instead of a spinner or blank. It doesn't show real progress; it previews the shape that's coming, which makes the same wait feel shorter and the page feel like it's already arriving.
The spinner and the skeleton took exactly the same time, but the skeleton felt quicker - because it showed the page taking shape rather than a wheel going nowhere. That gap between actual and perceived wait, bought purely with what you show during the load, is the whole point.
