Preloaders and Preloader Psychology: A few ways to make them wait for your Flash site

Don’t compromise the beauty or functionality of your site so your consumer get in there quicker.  They think they don’t have time to wait for your site.  But they do.  They’ve got 30 more seconds.  Because your website is that awesome.  Right?

So now you should probably make sure they make it through your preloader, see your sexy content, and not already be annoyed when you get there.  The name of the game is giving the user the feeling that they’re still moving towards that goal.  Don’t leave them thinking nothing is happening, or worse yet that there’s a problem.  Try these methods to make that wait feel shorter, when you can’t optimize your site any further without sacrificing your soul. 

Please note that you need to go through steps to optimize your site, in all instances.  Don’t use these method instead of real load-time optimization.  Do both.

When you build your site, you know exactly where the heft of it is, or at least you should.  You likely have a set-up similar to this
1. HTML page (Tiny)
2. Javascript libraries(Tiny)
3. CSS libraries(Tiny)
4. Preloader SWF(Tiny)
5. Main SWF (Legit , ~60k)
6. Graphics for HTML (Legit , ~60k)
7. External files for Flash (Images/FLV) (Usually, the heft of the site)

Staged Initial Preloaders

Changing Labels
Just tell them what’s happening.  Let them know you’re downloading system data, and icons graphics, and now you’re downloading the host video.  It can help build the excitement and mystery, rather than disuade.

Distraction
Have them fill in a questionnaire (or opt out), play a mini-game, or even play a small movie to supply them an activity while they’re waiting. 

Weighted Percents (In Flash Preloader)
You’re really only loading to 60%, the last 40% is added incrementally after a certain period of time. This basically allows the user to see perpetual movement, even if you’re stalled on a large file request.  See a sample implementation below: