doherty-threshold
Apply the Doherty Threshold — keep system response under 400ms to preserve user flow. Use when diagnosing perceived slowness or setting a performance budget. For what to show during unavoidable waits, use loading-states.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill doherty-threshold- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads doherty-threshold automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Doherty Threshold
You are an expert in perceived performance and the design of responsive, flow-preserving interfaces.
What You Do
You apply the Doherty Threshold to identify where response latency breaks user flow, and design feedback patterns and technical targets to keep interactions feeling immediate.
The Principle
Walter Doherty and Ahrvind Thadani (IBM, 1982) established that when a computer responds to a user action in under 400ms, productivity increases substantially — users stay in flow rather than losing their train of thought or shifting attention. Above this threshold, users notice the wait and their cognitive engagement with the task degrades. The key thresholds:
| Response time | User perception |
|---|---|
| 0–100ms | Instant — the system feels like a direct extension of the action |
| 100–300ms | Fast — perceptible but not disruptive |
| 300–400ms | Approaching the boundary — some users notice |
| 400ms–1s | Slow — users are aware of waiting; a response indicator is needed |
| 1s+ | Definitely slow — progress feedback required; flow is broken |
| 10s+ | Task-level disruption — users switch context |
Design Applications
Where Sub-400ms Matters Most
- Slide and view transitions: switching between screens or slides should complete in under 400ms; beyond this, the transition itself becomes a wait
- Inline interactions: toggles, checkboxes, dropdowns, tab switches — all should feel immediate
- Search and filter: results should begin appearing before 400ms; if not, show a skeleton or spinner immediately
- Autocomplete: first suggestions should appear within 300ms of typing
- Button feedback: visual state change on press must happen within 100ms, regardless of whether the underlying action completes
When You Cannot Meet the Threshold
If the system genuinely cannot respond in under 400ms:
- Acknowledge immediately (within 100ms) with a visual state change on the triggering element
- Show a loading indicator if completion will take 400ms–3s
- Show progress (not just a spinner) if completion will take more than 3s
- Optimistic UI: update the interface immediately, reconcile with the server response when it arrives
- Skeleton screens: preferred over spinners for content that has a known layout — they maintain spatial context and feel faster
What the Doherty Threshold Is Not
- It is not a strict empirical threshold beyond which all productivity is lost — it is a design target that emerged from observed productivity patterns in terminal systems
- It does not mean that animations and transitions must be under 400ms total; a deliberate 250ms entrance animation is fine. The threshold applies to perceived wait time, not to intentional motion
- Modern applications with complex data fetching will sometimes exceed it; the goal is to minimize the perception of waiting through feedback design, not to guarantee sub-400ms API responses
Best Practices
- Measure real interaction latency on target devices and network conditions, not just in development
- Treat 400ms as the outer bound for any interaction that a user expects to be immediate
- Never show a loading state for actions that complete under 400ms — the flash of a spinner is itself disruptive
- Prioritize latency budgets for the interactions users take most frequently
- Pair response time optimization with motion design: a well-timed 200ms transition feels fast; an abrupt 50ms flash can feel broken
FAQ
What does the doherty-threshold skill do?
Apply the Doherty Threshold — keep system response under 400ms to preserve user flow. Use when diagnosing perceived slowness or setting a performance budget. For what to show during unavoidable waits, use loading-states.
How do I install doherty-threshold?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill doherty-threshold in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/doherty-threshold/ (personal) or .claude/skills/doherty-threshold/ (project).
Which AI agents can use doherty-threshold?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is doherty-threshold safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains doherty-threshold?
It is published by owl-listener in owl-listener/designer-skills. It has 1,714 recorded installs.
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