Long Process - Do you know that you should show a progress bar and allow users to cancel?

Updated by Brady Stroud [SSW] 1 year ago. See history

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The last thing a user wants is to be stuck waiting around for a long-running process to finish that they accidentally started in the first place. This heightens frustration with the application because:

  • They do not know how long the process will last (adds uncertainty to the user experience)
  • They cannot stop the process (creates lack of control in the user experience) Instead, keep users happy with your application by:
  • Showing status description information above the progress bar
  • Allowing the user to stop the process at any time by clicking "Cancel" (or as a minimum, prompt for confirmation before the long running process starts)
Image

✅ Figure: Good Example - Progress Bar with description and Cancel Button

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✅ Figure: Good Example - Progress Bar with description and status, and Cancel Button

We have a product called SSW .NET Toolkit which includes these controls. SSW .NET Toolkit - Using Progress bars/Status forms.

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