Product & design · Operations & workflows
Visibility of system status.
Keeping people informed about what a system is doing through timely, understandable feedback.
Useful when silence makes people repeat an action or lose trust.
“Make sync status visible only when it matters: show that changes are pending if a save cannot complete.”
A closer look
People need enough feedback to understand whether an action is underway, finished, or blocked. Show accurate status at the right time. A progress display that claims success before persistence completes can be more misleading than no display.
Put it to work
“Show that the export is being prepared, then provide its download when it is ready.”
A useful distinction
Visibility does not mean displaying every internal detail. Communicate the state that helps the person decide what to do next.