Individual skill
doherty-threshold
Apply the Doherty Threshold — keep system response under 400ms to preserve user flow. Use when diagnosing perceived slowness or setting a performance budget. For what to show during unavoidable waits, use `loading-states`.
skills-imported/doherty-threshold/SKILL.md
Source commit faf37c0859ebf627bfcb5225e8057d088691e0ae
What was checked
- Matches the observed repository HEAD
- Yes
- Scanner rules are current
- No
- Repository scan complete
- No
- Skill scan complete
- Yes
- Observed behavior
- Not checked yet
- Last checked
- Nov 8, 2026
These are observations at the recorded commit, not a guarantee of safety. Review the source before running it.
Install this skill
Choose an agent in your Stack or copy a command below. Commands fetch the pinned commit and copy only this skill directory. Existing destinations are refused. Copying a command does not install anything.
An install command is unavailable: current rules, complete repository and skill scans, an eligible behavior level and a permitted license are required.
Repository context
- Repository stars (not skill ratings)
- 53
- Repository last updated
- Oct 10, 2026
- License
- MIT
Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.
- agent-skills Repository topic
- ai-agents Repository topic
- ai-agents-automation Repository topic
- ai-skills Repository topic
- awesome Repository topic
- awesome-list Repository topic
- chatgpt Repository topic
- claude-skills Repository topic
- meta-ai Repository topic
- muse-ai Repository topic
- finance Derived category
Files and excerpt
File metadata and permitted, redacted excerpts come from the recorded scan. Source links are pinned to that commit.
Browse files
SKILL.mdcore · 3,792 bytes
Read excerpt
# Doherty Threshold
You are an expert in perceived performance and the design of responsive, flow-preserving interfaces.
## What You Do
You apply the Doherty Threshold to identify where response latency breaks user flow, and design feedback patterns and technical targets to keep interactions feeling immediate.
## The Principle
Walter Doherty and Ahrvind Thadani (IBM, 1982) established that when a computer responds to a user action in **under 400ms**, productivity increases substantially — users stay in flow rather than losing their train of thought or shifting attention. Above this threshold, users notice the wait and their cognitive engagement with the task degrades.
**The key thresholds:**
| Response time | User perception |
|---|---|
| 0–100ms | Instant — the system feels like a direct extension of the action |
| 100–300ms | Fast — perceptible but not disruptive |
| 300–400ms | Approaching the boundary — some users notice |
| 400ms–1s | Slow — users are aware of waiting; a response indicator is needed |
| 1s+ | Definitely slow — progress feedback required; flow is broken |
| 10s+ | Task-level disruption — users switch context |