Doherty Threshold
Productivity soars when a computer and its users interact at a pace (<400ms) that ensures that neither has to wait on the other.
Key Takeaways
Deliver system feedback within 400 milliseconds to maintain user attention and boost productivity.
Leverage perceived performance techniques to enhance response time and minimize the perception of waiting.
Use animation to engage users visually during background processing, and implement progress bars to make delays feel more acceptable.
Origin
In 1982, Walter J. Doherty and Ahrvind J. Thadani published research in the IBM Systems Journal that established 400 milliseconds as the critical response time threshold — replacing the previous industry standard of 2 seconds. Their research demonstrated that when a computer system responded within this 400ms window, the interaction was described as "addicting" to users, as it created a flow state where neither human nor machine was waiting on the other.