Labor Illusion

Labor Illusion in UX is the phenomenon where visibly demonstrating (even artificially) the effort or process behind a service increases users' perceived value and satisfaction. The idea is that when users see or sense that work is being done on their behalf—even if it's artificial or takes only a fraction of a second in reality—they perceive the result as more valuable or credible.

In the restaurant example, if food appears instantly, people suspect it's pre-made or of lower quality. Similarly, in apps, showing a "personalizing…" or "processing…" screen creates a feeling that honest effort is being put into delivering a custom result, thus increasing satisfaction.