Why Progress Bars Don't Move Smoothly ▓▓▓░░░░░░

Summary by Krater

Tom Scott explains why progress bars and time remaining estimates in computers are notoriously difficult to implement accurately, concluding that their primary job is simply to reassure the user that a task is progressing rather than provide a precise estimate.

From the video

Answers: Why can't computers accurately tell you how long a task will take?

• Computer progress bars
• Installation time estimation
• File copying and transfer speeds
• UI design for computing tasks

What it concludes

• Progress bars cannot be perfectly accurate because different steps take varying amounts of time and external factors influence device speed.
• The most important job of a progress bar is not to give a precise estimate, but to reassure the user that progress is actually being made.