progressive-disclosure

# Progressive Disclosure

Show users what they need when they need it. Hide complexity until it's relevant. Let depth feel like discovery, not burden.

## Evidence Tiers

```
[Research]   — Peer-reviewed studies, controlled experiments
[Expert]     — Nielsen Norman Group, recognized UX authorities
[Case Study] — Documented examples from major products
[Convention] — Industry practice, limited formal validation

Multiple tags = stronger evidence: [Research][Expert]
Mixed findings noted as: [Research — Mixed]
```

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## Research Foundation

**[Research — Limited]** Carroll and Rosson (1987) developed the "training wheels" approach, hiding advanced functionality to help novices succeed. However, they noted that **empirical evidence for progressive disclosure effectiveness is limited**.

From Carroll & Rosson (1997): "No empirical evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of progressive disclosure."

**What we do know:**
- **[Research]** Miller's Law (1956): Working memory holds ~7±2 items (some modern research suggests ~4 chunks)
- **[Research]** Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988): Reducing extraneous load improves learning
- **[Expert]** Nielsen Norman Group recommends progressive disclosure for improving learnability, efficiency, and reducing errors

**Honest assessment:** Progressive disclosure is widely accepted as good practice, but rigorous controlled studies are sparse. Most evidence comes from case studies and practitioner experience.

**Source:** [Nielsen Norman - Progressive Disclosure](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/progressive-disclosure/)

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## The Depth Hierarchy

**[Expert]** Structure complexity in layers:

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Layer 1: Essential (always shown)  │  ← What 80% of users need
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Layer 2: Common (one click away)   │  ← Frequently used options
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Layer 3: Advanced (discoverable)   │  ← Power user features
├───────────────────