UX Patterns
Progressive Disclosure
UXcomplexityinformation architecturedisclosureforms
Showing only essential information initially, revealing detail as the user needs or requests it.
When to use
- Complex forms — show advanced options behind a toggle
- Settings pages with many options (basic vs. advanced)
- Reducing cognitive overload for new users while not limiting power users
Examples
- 'Advanced settings' accordion in a config form
- Inline 'Show more' expanding a truncated description
See this in the wild
Analyze a site and look for progressive disclosure in the breakdown.
