OpenID login takes a second, how do I make it feel quicker?

Question

Users on my site log in via OpenID. This is what loggin in looks like:

• Click the login link in the header
• Click one of 6 OpenID providers
• (wait one second)
• If they're there for the first time: Log into their OpenID provider
• Redirect back to my site

The one second delay isn't too bad, but while the user is waiting, they're staring at my login page. How do I make the login feel faster?

These are some techniques I've found so far:

• Redirect to a blank page first, so that something is happening
• Fade out the login form
• Display a progress indicator

The drawback to the first two is that, in case something goes wrong, the user won't be able to click a second time.

Is there a well-established solution to this?

Answer 1

While I'm not sure whether there is any well-established solution, I do know that some things make people unaware of the time and should work for this.

The key is to give them something to focus on that appears to be moving. A progress bar is one option, or even a simple rotating loading indicator. For the rotating indicator, spin it a little faster than usual and it gives the impression of taking less time.

You could also show a small animation if you feel creative.

The key is to give them something to think about besides "what is taking this so long".

Answer 2

Disabling the action button and displaying a rotating loading indicator next to it works well to communicate that there is a process currently happening but that it shouldn't take so long that it needs much more feedback than that.

Answer 3

Maybe this blog post will help - http://socialtriggers.com/problem-fast-loading-websites/#more-2373