Should loading/startup dialogs be locked on top?

Question

Introduction

I have been so annoyed by applications that have a startup dialog which is Always on Top configured.

By start dialog I mean the annoying box that tells you what program you just opened (and probably opened on purpose so useless information), who the program is registered to (most likely you, more uselessness), and some other random application specific information. Some have loading bars that indicate startup progress, but otherwise they seem basically useless except to show that your program is actually starting (to prevent the user from opening 5 instances during the loading process because they think it's not open yet).

The worst though is when this useless information is displayed over all the useful browsers and documents that I may be working on at the time, making me wait until the application is loaded before I can effectively work on something else again. Most apps have the sense not to do this, but some still continue the practice.

Now that I'm done ranting...

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My Question(s)

My question is..Why?

What is the point of all this?
Why does/did anyone ever do this?
What was the reasoning behind it?
Is anyone else annoyed by this?
Is there any benefit to the end user or developer to use this technique?
Should I ever use a startup dialog like this and when?
Anyone else have other comments/rants/suggestions to share with the community?

Answer 1

I share in your annoyance of Always-on-Top dialogs.

The use of the dialog is to let the user know that the application is actually doing something and hasn't hung. Back in the day, when IO wasn't as fast, it was reasonable to assume that the system is not very responsive while the application is doing its IO, so it was reasonable to bar the user from doing anything else while the application was loading.

Now that IO is faster and more concurrent, there isn't a need for hogging the user's focus and the start-up dialogs should simply be regular dialogs.

Since the main use of the dialog is to indicate application process, I like a visual indication, such as a progress bar. Eclipse does this well IMO.

Answer 2

I believe you are talking about the 'splash screen.'
Some reasons for it:

• It is often thought of as 'branding' in that it reinforces the company's logo.
• It can contain some useful info such as version number.
• Most importantly, it gives you the impression that the slow starting app is being just a bit more than unresponsive.

Answer 3

It's good to have a startup screen so the user gets some feedback that they actually launched the app.

But putting that screen always on top of existing windows, so the user is sure to see it, is a definite no - you should not presume that your application is more important than the user's web browser, email, etc. Unfortunately many developers have a very self-centric view of the world, and think that their application is the most important thing the user is running.

Answer 4

Just gives visual indication that the app is initializing.

Answer 5

Startup dialogs or Splash screens are completely useless for the most part. The only time I think they are any use is if as you suggested a particular program takes a bit of time to load. Some kind of progress indication would be nice.

The only example I can think of is Photoshop. Not strictly necessary but it does take a moment to load.