Skeleton Screen
Easy — everyone uses thisFrontend
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
Those gray animated placeholder shapes you see while a page is loading. Instead of showing a blank screen or a spinner, you show the SHAPE of the content that's about to appear. It tricks your brain into thinking the page is faster because there's something to look at. Every modern app uses them.
Real Talk
A skeleton screen (or content placeholder) is a loading state that displays a simplified wireframe representation of the page layout before actual content loads. Research shows skeleton screens reduce perceived load time compared to spinners or blank screens. They're common in Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and most modern SPAs.
When You'll Hear This
"Add a skeleton screen instead of that loading spinner." / "Skeleton screens make the app feel faster even when it isn't."