Suggestion: Improved UX around dropdown searches

[jamesplease]

Type: Suggestion

Description: There is no feedback for failed requests in dropdowns (that I can see). And the loading feedback is rather subtle.

More info:

Some dropdowns make network requests, such as for Notifications (at least on the internal Netflix lemur). Ideally, these requests return quickly, but that's not always the case. Providing feedback can prevent users from feeling lost when the requests are going slow.

I see that there are two loading indicators for the dropdown, but it's pretty subtle right now. There's a spinner in the upper left hand of the app, and the loading bar that moves across the page. Neither of these contrast well against the darkened background behind the modal, so it took a bit of searching for me to see those.

One idea would be a spinner nearer to the dropdown. Perhaps next to the label of the dropdown. This indicator could be more contrasty, and its proximity to the dropdown would let people know that the indicator is specifically for the dropdown, and not any other request that the app could be making.

And if the request fails, maybe a little error message could appear next to the label. It may even have a "Retry" button.

These are just some suggestions I had while using Lemur today. Thanks for reading!