Marketing, sales & UX laws · law 043
Doherty Threshold
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
what it means
Productivity and engagement soar when a system responds in under about 400 milliseconds.
How Doherty Threshold works
When a system responds almost instantly, people stay in flow and keep going. When it lags, attention breaks, frustration rises, and they abandon tasks.
For online businesses, speed is a conversion feature. Slow pages and laggy apps quietly lose customers.
where it comes from
From a 1982 IBM paper by Walter J. Doherty and Ahrvind J. Thadani, which challenged the then-common two-second response standard.
Doherty Threshold examples in business
E-commerce
A store that cuts page load time sees more product views per visit and fewer abandoned carts.
Apps
Showing an instant skeleton screen while data loads makes the app feel faster.
Customer service
Instant acknowledgement of a WhatsApp query reduces repeat messages, even if the full answer takes longer.
How to apply it
- 1Measure how long key pages and actions take to respond.
- 2Speed up the slowest steps in your conversion path first.
- 3Give instant feedback (loading states, confirmations) when real work takes longer.
- 4Treat speed as a feature in product decisions.
common misreading
400ms is a guideline, not a hard cliff. The principle is that faster feedback keeps people engaged.
ask yourself
How long does a customer wait between clicking and seeing something happen on your site?
Frequently asked questions
What is Doherty Threshold?
Productivity and engagement soar when a system responds in under about 400 milliseconds. When a system responds almost instantly, people stay in flow and keep going. When it lags, attention breaks, frustration rises, and they abandon tasks.
Who came up with Doherty Threshold?
From a 1982 IBM paper by Walter J. Doherty and Ahrvind J. Thadani, which challenged the then-common two-second response standard.
How do you apply Doherty Threshold in business?
1. Measure how long key pages and actions take to respond. 2. Speed up the slowest steps in your conversion path first. 3. Give instant feedback (loading states, confirmations) when real work takes longer. 4. Treat speed as a feature in product decisions.
What is a common misunderstanding of Doherty Threshold?
400ms is a guideline, not a hard cliff. The principle is that faster feedback keeps people engaged.