Chances are anyone using a computer has encountered a “progress bar” of some sort. This is usually found when copying a file, downloading a program, or installing software. The progress bar attempts to tell the user two things: how long the entire operation is going to take, as well as how much of the task has already taken place.
The little secret that no one really likes to talk about is how inaccurate those progress bars can be.
If those progress bars aren’t really working properly, why bother using them?
Believe it or not, those progress bars are there to make users feel better. When someone is behind their keyboard, working furiously to meet a deadline, seeing a progress bar when performing a task actually gives the illusion that progress is being made and that work is being done.
Why don’t progress bars work properly? It comes down to a programming issue. When a programmer codes in a progress bar to the software, they are using a kind of basic tool. If a program being installed has 1000 files, the programmer usually will divide 1000 by 100 and for every 10 files being copied or downloaded, it will show 1 percent progress.
Things get complicated, however, when various factors are taken into account. Some files are small and some files are large. Oddly enough, a computer takes less time to find and access and copy large files than small files. It’s easier for someone to locate and gather two basketballs as opposed to locating and gathering two dozen marbles.
Users often get frustrated when a progress bar seems to be frozen at 99 percent. In fact, it can often seem like most progress bars get stuck right when they’re about to finish doing their tasks. That’s not the case, though. It’s simply a matter of perception. Often, computers slow down throughout the entire process but observers tend to notice the slowdown at the end of the program. It’s at this stage of the operation that the computer is basically going through the final stages of downloading or installing a program or file — and it just seems to be “stuck” at that point.
Why are progress bars used? Simple — it’s to let the user know that an operation is taking place. Anyone who has sat in front of a screen when a spinning wheel or flipping hourglass knows how frustrating it can be to wonder whether the program or file is actually working properly or if the computer has frozen. The progress bar was designed to provide some degree of measurement and to allow users to know the system has not been locked up.
