While many users do appreciate being given choices, over-saturation of options can increase the complexity of our design, making people disoriented and confused. This is why designers would sometimes use “progressive disclosure” on apps to ease such a burden.
By definition, progressive disclosure must have three “mores:” more steps, more control, as well as more separations of information. Let’s take Duolingo as an example.
As an app that teaches foreign languages, it won’t allow you to learn complex lessons until you finish easy ones. The app unlocks the next course as soon as you finish the first.
When assessing your progress, the app takes a guided approach to take you through different sets of questions and tests. As a user, you always know where you are in the app and what you should do next.
Progressive disclosure is helpful because it helps the user focus on critical things and reduces the learning curve for new users. It also increases your products’ efficiency because users won’t wander away from the core functions and get stuck on something else.
