Progressive disclosure

To reduce complexity in a user interface, employ progressive disclousure to defer secondary options to a subsidary screen. This focuses user´s attention on the primary options, which are the only ones shown by deafult.

An application of progessive disclosure is only show information that is relevant for the current step of the task. For instance, a camera app on a smartphone.

• Default screen (primary options):
  • Shutter button
  • Switch between photo/video
  • Zoom
  • Flash

These are the controls that most users need to take a picture quickly.

• Secondary screen (progressive disclosure):
  When the user taps "More" or "Settings", additional options appear, such as:
  • ISO
  • White balance
  • Exposure compensation
  • Grid lines
  • RAW image format
  • Timer

This is an example of progressive disclosure because advanced settings are hidden by default and only shown when the user chooses to access them. As a result, the main interface stays simple and users can focus on the primary task (taking a photo) without being distracted by less frequently used options.