Instagram · 16 Oct 2026
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UX response speed and SaaS retention
By Гегам Шакарян | Без инвесторов · Instagram
Source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ded1p4VjC1V/?mdxt=MXZ0MmdkMWltMGRyOQ==
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Summary
IBM discovered in 1982 that interface response times under 400 milliseconds double user productivity, a principle called the Doherty Threshold. The speaker applies this to explain why fast SaaS products like Linear, Superhuman, and Figma beat slower competitors like Jira, Gmail, and Sketch, and lays out three rules for building speed into a product.
Core ideas
- The Doherty Threshold: Walter Doherty's 1982 IBM research found that system response under 400 milliseconds keeps users in a state of flow; slower responses break concentration and cause users to lose their train of thought.
- IBM's original data: Cutting system delay from 1 second to 300 milliseconds doubled operator productivity, with no changes to the product itself.
- Speed as a hidden lever: Users rarely notice why they work faster; they just do, meaning speed gains operate below conscious awareness.
- Measure first: Track Time to First Byte and UI latency for every core action; anything over 400 milliseconds is a dropout point, usually caused by database load or uncached API calls.
- Fake it when you can't fix it: When real speed improvements aren't possible, use skeleton screens instead of spinners and optimistic UI updates that act before the server responds, tricking the brain into feeling fast.
- Speed is a product feature, not plumbing: Linear beat Jira by opening tickets in under 100 milliseconds versus Jira's 2 to 5 seconds, proving speed itself is a competitive feature.
- Paying for speed: Superhuman charges 30 dollars a month for the same email functionality as Gmail, justified purely by faster response times.
- Competitive window: If a competitor's product runs at 1 second response time, cutting your own to 100 milliseconds creates a window where users will pay up to three times more.
Quotes
“Если система отвечает быстрее 400 миллисекунд, пользователь входит в состояние потока. (If the system responds faster than 400 milliseconds, the user enters a state of flow.)”
“Linear вытеснил Jira не фичами, а скоростью открытия тикета. (Linear pushed out Jira not with features, but with the speed of opening a ticket.)”
“Скорость это функция, а не инфраструктура. (Speed is a feature, not infrastructure.)”
“Фигма обогнал Sketch просто потому что не ждет файл. (Figma overtook Sketch simply because it doesn't make you wait for the file.)”
Resources
Links to the tools, products, repos or reading this entry mentions. Found by a web search of what the entry names, so you can go and use them.
- SearchSearch: Doherty Threshold
google.com
A direct link could not be verified, so this opens a search for it. A principle from IBM research that connects response times under 400 milliseconds with user flow and productivity.
- SearchSearch: Linear
github.com
A direct link could not be verified, so this opens a search for it. A project management app cited for opening tickets faster than Jira and making speed a product feature.
- SearchSearch: Superhuman
github.com
A direct link could not be verified, so this opens a search for it. An email app cited as charging $30 a month for faster response times than Gmail.
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