What's it called · UI components 16

Skeleton screen

A set of gray placeholders marking where images and text will appear while content loads.

Press Refresh and compare the gray placeholders with the loaded content.

Often confused with

• Spinner: A rotating indicator that shows loading without outlining where content will appear
• Shimmer: An animated band of light sweeping across a surface rather than the placeholder shapes themselves
• Empty state: A screen explaining that no content is available after loading rather than a placeholder shown during loading