Briefle words · UI design
Skeleton screen
Also called skeleton loader
A loading placeholder made of grey shapes that mirror the real layout before the content arrives.
Say it to an AI
Team inbox loading state: a skeleton screen, not a spinner. Keep the real header and show four placeholder rows shaped like messages (avatar circle, name bar, preview bar, time stub) at the exact loaded row height, so there is no layout shift, with a slow shimmer.
How an expert would brief the stronger version of “Inbox list”.
See it
Try it as a puzzle →A team messaging app's inbox, one second after opening it while messages are still loading.
Why: B shows four rows, each with a round avatar shape, a short name bar, a longer preview bar and a timestamp stub.
Related words
Room 1 · Essentials
Learn “Skeleton screen” in a five-minute lesson