In modern web applications, user experience is paramount. One effective way to enhance perceived performance while content is loading is through skeleton loading components. This technique displays a placeholder UI that mimics the structure of the actual content, providing visual feedback to users during data fetching. In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of skeleton loading, how to implement it in React, and best practices to follow.

Skeleton loading components are placeholder elements that represent the shape of the content that will be loaded. They give users an indication of the content structure and help reduce frustration while waiting for data to load.

Some of the benefits of using loading skeleton components are:

1. Improved Perceived Performance: Skeleton loaders can significantly enhance user perception of speed by providing immediate feedback while data is being fetched.
2. Reduced User Frustration: By showing that content is on the way, skeleton loaders alleviate anxiety over loading times.
3. Enhanced User Engagement: A well-designed skeleton loader can keep users engaged and reduce the likelihood of them leaving the page.

And once more, here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a simple skeleton loader component. First, let’s create the SkeletonLoader component.

import React from 'react';
import './SkeletonLoader.css';

const SkeletonLoader = () => {
  return (
    <div className="skeleton-loader">
      <div className="skeleton-avatar"></div>
      <div className="skeleton-title"></div>
      <div className="skeleton-text"></div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default SkeletonLoader;

Now, let’s add some CSS to style the skeleton loader to make it look like the content it will replace.

/* SkeletonLoader.css */
.skeleton-loader {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  margin: 10px 0;
}

.skeleton-avatar {
  width: 50px;
  height: 50px;
  background: #e0e0e0;
  border-radius: 50%;
  margin-bottom: 10px;
}

.skeleton-title {
  width: 100%;
  height: 20px;
  background: #e0e0e0;
  margin-bottom: 5px;
}

.skeleton-text {
  width: 70%;
  height: 15px;
  background: #e0e0e0;
}

And finally it’s time to integrate the skeleton loader in your component to display while data is being fetched.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import SkeletonLoader from './SkeletonLoader';

const UserProfile = () => {
  const [user, setUser] = useState(null);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);

  useEffect(() => {
    const fetchUser = async () => {
      const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/user');
      const data = await response.json();
      setUser(data);
      setLoading(false);
    };
    fetchUser();
  }, []);

  if (loading) {
    return <SkeletonLoader />;
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <h2>{user.name}</h2>
      <p>{user.email}</p>
    </div>
  );
};

And that’s how you can have a loading state that will display some feedback to the user while waiting for the data fetches completely and display the proper information to the user. But, let’s keep in mind some good practices when creating your skeletons:

1. Match the Content Shape: Ensure your skeleton loaders mimic the shape and layout of the actual content for better user experience.
2. Keep it Simple: Use simple shapes and colors that indicate loading without distracting users.
3. Optimize Performance: Avoid excessive use of skeleton loaders, as they can increase load times if not implemented efficiently.

Conclusion

Implementing skeleton loading components in React can significantly enhance user experience by improving perceived performance and reducing frustration during loading times. By following best practices and creating visually appealing skeleton loaders, developers can create a more engaging and user-friendly interface. On a later post we will talk about React’s Suspense which can be used with Skeletons for optimal results.