The Magic of Slow-to-Fast and Constant: Evaluating Time Perception of Progress Bars by Bayesian Model

TL;DR

This study uses a Bayesian psychophysical model to quantitatively assess how users perceive different progress bar speeds, revealing that constant and speed-up progress bars are perceived as faster, which can inform UX design.

Contribution

The paper introduces an adaptive Bayesian method to measure perceived time of progress bars with non-uniform speeds, providing new insights into user perception.

Findings

Constant and speed-up progress bars are perceived as faster.

Perception is influenced by the final part of the progress bar.

Cognitive overload slows perceived progress.

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to use adaptive psychophysics methods, which is a Bayesian Model, to measure users' time perception of various progress bar quantitatively. Background: Progress bar informs users about the status of ongoing processes. Progress bars frequently display nonuniform speed patterns, such as acceleration and deceleration. However, which progress bar is perceived faster remain unclear. Methods: We measured the point of subject equality (PSE) of the constant progress bar toward four different 5-second progress bars with a non-constant speed. To measure PSE, in each trial, a constant progress bar and a non-constant progress bar were presented to participants. Participants needed to judge which one is shorter. Based on their choice, the model generated the time duration of constant progress bar in next trial. After 40 trials for each non-constant progress bar, the PSE was calculated by the model. Eye tracking was recorded during the experiment.Results: Our results show that the constant progress bar and speed-up progress bar are perceived to be faster. The anchoring effect fits the results of our study, indicating that the final part of the progress bar is more important for time perception. Moreover, the eye-tracking results indicate that the progress bar is perceived to be slower is related to the overload of cognitive resources.Conclusion: The constant progress bar and speed-up progress bar are perceived as the quickest. Application: The results suggest that UX design can use constant or speed-up progress bar, in order to improve user experience in waiting.