Progressive disclosure is a design pattern that keeps interfaces simple by hiding advanced or secondary detail until it is needed. Examples include accordions, expandable plan details and multi-step forms.
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Where it helps
Use it for dense information such as pricing details, settings and onboarding. Show the common path first and tuck the rest behind clear controls.
Risks
Hidden content can be missed. Make controls obvious, keep key decision facts visible, and note that collapsed content must remain accessible to screen readers and crawlers.
Common mistakes
Hiding the information buyers came for
Don't bury pricing basics or limits behind clicks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Google has said it can use content in expandable sections that is present in the HTML, though visible content is the safer choice for key facts.
Keep reading
- Cognitive Load: Cognitive load is the mental effort a page or interface demands. Too much makes visitors slower, more error-prone and more likely to leave.
- Multi-Step Form: A multi-step form splits a long form into several shorter screens, so visitors answer a few questions at a time instead of facing every field at once.
- Onboarding Flow: An onboarding flow is the guided set of steps that helps a new user set up a product and reach its first real value as quickly as possible.
- Empty State: An empty state is what a screen shows when it has no data yet, such as a new account's dashboard, and a chance to guide users to their first action.
- Activation Moment: The activation moment is the point at which a new user first experiences a product's core value, often tied to a specific action that predicts retention.
- Anchor Pricing: Anchor pricing presents a reference price, often a higher plan or original price, that shapes how buyers judge the value of the prices shown next to it.
- Decoy Effect: The decoy effect is when adding a clearly inferior option shifts people's choice toward a nearby option that looks better by comparison.
- Form Optimization: Form optimization is improving web forms so more visitors complete them accurately, by cutting fields, clarifying labels and fixing validation and layout.
