Turn unavoidable waiting into an optional two-minute interaction.

The product problem

Waiting pages often leave users staring at a spinner or repeatedly refreshing. The primary status cannot be obscured, but the idle time can be made less empty.

Why this placement can work

A self-contained puzzle does not require navigation away from the waiting context. Used carefully, it provides something to do while the host page continues to own queue position, appointment status or progress.

Implementation notes

• Keep queue position, ETA and required instructions above the puzzle.
• Never pause or delay the host page’s status polling because the puzzle is active.
• Use lazy loading if the wait may finish immediately.
• Choose a neutral puzzle title such as “While you wait”.

What to avoid

• Do not place the widget before medical, safety, payment or identity instructions.
• Do not use the puzzle as a substitute for accurate wait-status communication.

A practical example

A virtual event lobby shows admission status at the top and a “While you wait” puzzle card below. If admission opens mid-solve, the event UI remains authoritative.

Minimal HTML

<iframe
  src="https://puzru.com/embed/?mode=daily&source=waiting-room&theme=auto&surface=card"
  title="Daily logic puzzle"
  loading="lazy"
  sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups"
  referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
  style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:540px;height:720px;border:0;background:transparent"
></iframe>

The host page should remain genuinely useful without the widget. The embed is an interaction layer, not a reason to manufacture thin pages.