I'm programming a jQuery functionality for doing a search on articles while the user is typing in the search field.
I implemented a bind in jQuery that at every keyup
, it sets a clearTimeout
and a setTimeout
to the actual function doing the post
to the server. This is because users can be writing something and I want to avoid multiple post
s.
I got "stuck" with: from the user interface point of view, what time should I set for the setTimeout
? I tried different times (1s, 1.5s, 0.5s) but I have to admit the choice seems kind of random to me.
This raised the broader question: Is there any reference or study that answers the question of what are the "optimal" times for dynamic web interfaces?
I only now noticed that I've used more timers before (e.g. slides), that were also chosen "randomly".
Putting in other terms, does anyone knows how to justify why a given event in web interface has (or should have) a specific delta-time or range of delta-times?
(I'm sorry if this question is not adequate to here, It seemed to me closer than SO.)