Why you should use progressive disclosure.

Have you ever downloaded an app only for it to ask for permission from your device before you have even got a chance to use it? Progressive disclosure is a design strategy that allows users to gradually learn about important features in a step-by-step process. It is an effective way to reduce cognitive load and reduce the learning curve so users feel comfortable with the level of information they are viewing, without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. It is often used on apps for onboarding new users, sales and sign-up flows.

There are many reasons why you should use progressive disclosure in your designs. Here are four reasons:

1. It Allows Users to Make Informed Decisions

When users know what they are getting into, they can better make decisions about how they will use the information. This allows you to keep users safe and secure while still allowing them access to the information they need.

2. It Helps Build Confidence and Trust

By gradually disclosing information, you build trust and confidence between you and your users. This helps them feel more comfortable with the information they are viewing, which can lead to increased engagement and conversion rates.

3. It Reduces Anxiety

By breaking things down into small parts and showing users how many steps there are they won’t feel left in the dark. If users feel anxious or scared about the information they are viewing, it can affect their ability to engage with your content or purchase your product. By using progressive disclosure.

4, Retention and conversions

By moving the parts with the most friction to the last step, for example, asking for device permission or billing information users are less likely to be bound but will feel invested and committed to a smoother journey.

progressive disclosure in-game

Games by design are built around balancing the learning curve of players. Levels are a perfect example of this. The same is true for the game features.

In Genshin Impact (Shown on the left) if you want to play Co-Op with your friends you need to reach Level 16 in order to unlock social features. This is a video game designer’s way to introduce progressive disclosure as well as balance new players with more experienced players.

In Death Stranding, fast travel is unlocked by playing through part of the story. Once unlocked, you can use the umbrella in your private room to fast travel to other distribution centres or safe locations. Anywhere you have previously linked to the Chiral Network will work fine.

Gradually revealing features help users make informed decisions about how and where to focus their attention. This is important considering some games have complex controls, deep economies, progression and social systems.

Progressive disclosure is also in line with game design philosophy of showing what’s next to build motivation.

progressive disclosure in apps

Apps and websites can be hard to get into with all their popups and onboarding. One way to combat this is to allow users to discover information as they move through the product. If users interact with the messaging part of the app instead of the camera then don’t show them the tutorial for how the camera works.

In the video on the left Luke Wroblewski explains how users can get to the core value of an app by designers, not front-loading information or tutorials.

Conclusion

Progressive disclosure is a design principle that helps designers create a more simple, segmented and trustworthy experience for both users. So next time you have an idea for a new user interface or feature, consider whether progressive disclosure might make sense. Thanks for reading.