Progress indication

Summary
  • Determinate progress bar:
    • Use whenever possible.
    • Always use if your process may take longer than 10 seconds.
  • Indeterminate progress bar:
    • "Barber shop roll" (animated bar of fixed length).
    • Spinner.
  • Add a possibility to cancel the process:
    • Cancel button (Alert).
    • Back button (View).
  • Java Alerts do not use spinners due to layout constraints.
 Java

Related design guidelines

Progress indicators are shown to indicate a wait state. If the possible flow is interrupted (waiting for a list item or waiting for the entire list) for more than 1 second, you must show a progress indicator.

However, your application must also be responsive. Indicate the down state of an item or button in case the user has pressed it.

Tip:
  • Application must use determinate progress indicator if process may take longer than 10 seconds.
  • Application can use indeterminate progress indicator if process takes less than 10 seconds.
  • Do not combine information about remaining time or work units with an indeterminate progress indicator.
Note: Use the following button action terminology:
  • "Quit" stops the process and keeps everything achieved so far, it is not possible to continue with the process.
  • "Pause" stops the process and keeps everything achieved so far, it is possible to continue with the process at a later stage.
  • "Cancel" aborts the process and discards all changes made so far.
Progress indicators in Forms  
Figure 1. Determinate and indeterminate progress indicator in Forms
  • Determinate is incremental gauge.
  • Indeterminate is indefinite gauge.
  • Indeterminate indicator only as a spinner, "barber shop roll" (animated bar of fixed length) is not possible.
  • Use a Form item header to specify what the indicator is representing.
  • If the process takes longer than 3 seconds, add a way to abort, stop or pause the process.
    • Action button 1.
    • String item with button layout.

Progress indicators in Alerts  
Figure 2. Indeterminate and determinate progress indicator in Alerts
  • Indeterminate and determinate progress bars possible.
    • Spinners not supported in Alerts.
  • If the process takes longer than 3 seconds, add a button to abort, stop or pause the process.
    • 0-3 buttons possible (see Buttons for more information).
  • Other optional items for Alerts:
    • Title (note that space for the title is reserved even though the title is not specified).
    • Icon.

Indeterminate progress indicator
Figure 3. Pop-up alert with progress bar Pause/Cancel buttons, and in-item spinner in a Form
  • For process durations between 0,5 and 10 seconds.
  • Only used if wait duration estimation is taking substantial time or payload.
  • If longer than 3 seconds, you must include a way to abort the process:
    • Back (view).
    • Cancel button (Alert).
  • Indefinite gauge in Java Form uses spinner.
  • An Alert uses a "barber shop roll" (animated bar of fixed length).

© Nokia 2012.