Design Principle
Progressive disclosure does not hide functionality; it places complexity at the right decision moment.
Principle
Progressive disclosure does not hide functionality; it places complexity at the right decision moment.
Design action
Keep core form fields open, move advanced metadata and destructive actions to secondary areas, and avoid long visible tutorials above the fold.
Examples
Positive example: Admin pages, advanced contribution fields, embedding rebuilds, and destructive actions. Counterexample: All advanced configuration appears above the fold.
Apply when
Admin pages, advanced contribution fields, embedding rebuilds, and destructive actions. Beginners and experts share a page.
Source notes
Source note: Synthesized from Apple HIG, Material Design, GOV.UK/Polaris/Atlassian component practices, and interaction accessibility principles. Apple HIG Motion: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/motion Material Design Motion: https://m3.material.io/styles/motion/overview/how-it-works GOV.UK Design System Patterns: https://design-system.service.gov.uk/patterns/ Shopify Polaris Patterns: https://polaris-react.shopify.com/patterns Atlassian Empty State: https://atlassian.design/components/empty-state
Agent Directive
Keep core form fields open, move advanced metadata and destructive actions to secondary areas, and avoid long visible tutorials above the fold.