While reorganizing my bookmarks I came across Jacob Nielsen's Alertbox from Dec 4, 2006:
A classic dilemma all designers face…
- On one hand: Users want control; features and enough options to handle any situation.
- On the other hand: Users want simplicity; they don't have time learn a profusion of features in enough depth to select the few that are optimal for their needs.
Progressive Disclosure is a technique used in interaction design to satisfy both of these conflicting requirements:
- Initially, show users only a few of the most important options.
- Offer a larger set of specialized options upon request. Disclose these secondary features only if a user asks for them, meaning that most users can proceed with their tasks without worrying about this added complexity.
Applied to content, the concept of progressive disclosure translates to:
- Initially, show users bite sized nuggets of relevant content — what Wired Magazine would call Information Snacking
- Offer easy access to the full, in-depth content only if/when the user asks for it.
Just some food for thought… but whatever you do, don't forget to Make The Logo Bigger
Cheers,
Erik
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