Creating Skeleton Loaders in React

As a developer, you understand the importance of a smooth user experience. When loading data, displaying a skeleton loader can significantly enhance the perceived performance of your application. This blog will guide you through creating skeleton loaders in React, emphasizing their benefits, design strategies, and implementation steps.

What is a Skeleton Loader?

A skeleton loader is a graphical representation of content that appears while data is loading. Instead of showing a blank space or a loading spinner, skeletons mimic the shape of the actual content, giving users a better idea of what to expect. This not only keeps users engaged but also improves their overall experience.

Why Use Skeleton Loaders?

• Improved User Experience: Helps users anticipate what data is being loaded.
• Reduced Perceived Loading Time: Keeps users engaged by providing visual feedback.
• Consistent Design: Skeleton loaders can be styled to match your application’s design.

Designing Your Skeleton Loader

The first step in creating a skeleton loader is designing it. Consider the shape and style needed for the data you’re loading. For instance:

• For text content, use lines or blocks resembling paragraphs.
• For images, use gray boxes or circles to represent the images’ dimensions.
• For lists, replicate the list layout with placeholders.

Example Design in Figma

While we won’t cover Figma design in depth, sketch out your skeleton loader’s structure quickly. This might include rectangles for text lines and circles for avatars or images. Make sure you note the sizes to keep them consistent with the actual content.

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Setting Up Your React Environment

Make sure you have a React setup ready. If you are starting from scratch, you can create a new React app with the following command:

npx create-react-app skeleton-loader-demo

Step 2: Creating the Skeleton Loader Component

Next, create a new component for your skeleton loader. Here’s a simple example for a user profile card:

import React from 'react';
import './SkeletonLoader.css';

const SkeletonLoader = () => {
    return (
        

            

            

            

        
    );
};

export default SkeletonLoader;

Step 3: Adding CSS Styles

Now, let’s style the skeleton loader. The CSS below creates the effect of a loading placeholder:

.skeleton-loader {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 10px;
    width: 300px;
    padding: 15px;
    background-color: #fff;
    border-radius: 8px;
    box-shadow: 0 2px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
}

.skeleton-avatar {
    width: 50px;
    height: 50px;
    border-radius: 50%;
    background-color: #e0e0e0;
}

.skeleton-text {
    height: 10px;
    background-color: #e0e0e0;
    border-radius: 4px;
}

.skeleton-title {
    width: 100px;
}

.skeleton-subtitle {
    width: 150px;
    margin-top: 5px;
}

In this CSS code, be sure to adjust colors and sizes to match your application’s design.

Step 4: Integrating the Skeleton Loader

To make the skeleton loader functional, integrate it with a fetching mechanism. Here’s an example using a simulated data fetch:

import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import SkeletonLoader from './SkeletonLoader';

const UserProfile = () => {
    const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);
    const [userData, setUserData] = useState(null);

    useEffect(() => {
        const fetchData = async () => {
            // Simulate a data fetching with a timeout
            setTimeout(() => {
                setUserData({
                    name: 'John Doe',
                    title: 'Software Engineer'
                });
                setLoading(false);
            }, 2000);
        };

        fetchData();
    }, []);

    return (
        

            {loading ? (
                
            ) : (
                

                    
{userData.name}
                    
{userData.title}
                
            )}
        
    );
};

export default UserProfile;

This component simulates data loading and displays the skeleton loader until the data is fetched.

Additional Tips for Enhancing Skeleton Loaders

• Animation: Consider adding a shimmer effect using CSS animations to give a more dynamic feel to your loaders.
• Responsive Design: Make sure your skeleton loaders adapt to different screen sizes to maintain usability on mobile devices.

Conclusion

Implementing skeleton loaders in your React application can dramatically improve user experience by providing visual feedback during data loading processes. As you build your app, consider refining your skeleton loader design for optimal aesthetics and performance. We hope this guide has been informative and that you’re inspired to enhance your applications with skeleton loaders.

Feel free to share your own styles, animations, or unique implementations in the comments below!