The Power of Progressive Disclosure in SaaS User Experience Design
Designers frequently encounter a common UX dilemma: Users expect powerful tools with a wide range of features to meet their diverse needs, yet they also demand simplicity and ease of use!
Balancing these expectations is especially challenging in SaaS products, where rich functionality is essential but can lead to a cluttered interface. When users are confronted with too many options at once, it can result in cognitive overload—slowing them down, causing confusion, and ultimately leading to frustration or drop-off.
This is where Progressive Disclosure becomes a powerful design technique. Instead of exposing all features and options upfront, it shows only the most essential information at first, and reveals more advanced details as users engage deeper. This allows new users to get started without confusion, while still giving experienced users access to the depth they need.
In this blog, we’ll explore progressive disclosure definition, why it matters, the key UI patterns it involves, and how it can be effectively applied in SaaS design.
This blog shows progressive disclosure definition, why it matters, key UI patterns it involves, and how it can be applied in SaaS design.
Here are some of the lessons I learned from designing with progressive disclosure recently:
Decide when switching from choice A to choice B and then back to A, if any sub-selections made under A will be preserved. I think users appreciate it, but it can be hard to implement and doesn't make sense in all cases. So pick a rule and try to stay consistent with it.
Determine what properties are affected by selections on the parent field. Progressive disclosure can more than just about revealing new fields—you can also use it to disable fields, make fields required, prefill data, showing read-only data, etc.
Make sure you work closely with the developers to determine what is feasible.
Make sure get a good working set of business rules for the progressive disclosure logic before designing or you'll end up having to make a bunch of changes every time a rule change.
Problem: Build an HTML5 website that serves a variety of retail clients and customers in data creation, verification and analysis. How to migrate a heavy duty application to web without losing functionality. Focus on how design process fits in with development.
Solution: Research and articles of industry best practices to approach application/SaaS design
Updates
Dec 6 Progressive Disclosure
Dec 18
- Current State of Adaptive Design
- Sketch 39 Brings Symobl Resizing and Cloud Beta
Jan 5 CSS, 8-point grid, hand off
Jan 31 Designing by states, CSS flexbox
Feb 7 Prioritizing functionality & HTML5 frameworks
Feb 8 Fresh v Familiar Design
Feb 24 Autolayout
Mar 28 Min/max width, fluid/responsive design, iPad 2 and Desktop resolutions
June 1 Dashboard
June 15 Widgets by Oracle
June 21
- Abstract: git for design
- A List A Part: Responsive Design
- Optimizing for context in omnichannel UX
- How to use breakpoints
June 22 Inspiration links * can be an add-on
- Offering the user the highest quality experience through strategic PD
- Have no more than 2 levels of PD
- Important exercise to see what features, options and information is most helpful to the user and put on the onset --> provide a strong “information scent”
- Contrasts with staged disclosure; step by step process vs. core features and malleability
- Task analysis: understand which options are used together and which are better thought of as separate stages
--> Ensure to not divide the task into too many steps - users get bogged down by excess navigation
Helps understand how to work within “flexbox” constraints in development:
“It simplifies the types of constraints and tries to predict the behavior based on the position of the element within the enclosing element.”
- Adjust Sketch workflow with adaptive methodology (key notes: pin to corner, resize object, float in place)
- Sketch will allow me to design adaptive layouts through predicting it’s behaviour when I resize the artboard
- Introduction to Figma tool; allows the designer to recreate adaptive behaviours with advanced constraints
- Needs work on how to allow different elements (i.e. parent v. sister elements) to interact with each other
- Introduction to Subform tool; components and constraints at the core of its functionality - focuses on interface design
- Not entirely intuitive; need to do more research
- Predictable results set by the constraints + robust adaptive layout features
- Must be used if designer has clear intentions
- Easier workflow for adaptable symbols when resizing > RE: https://sketchapp.com/learn/documentation/symbols/resizing-symbols/
- FN + (<-- OR -->) allows toggle between artboards
- Start implementing this to allow adaptive design as part of design development
Jan 5
Formatting, handoff and CSS
http://cssreference.io/flexbox/
- Reference for class styles and terms for front end
https://medium.com/sketch-app-sources/10-things-to-keep-in-mind-working-with-sketch-zeplin-developers-will-thank-you-a80e84c00bc2#.xgl6uecre
- Working with developers and speeding up workflow through Zeplin
https://medium.com/built-to-adapt/intro-to-the-8-point-grid-system-d2573cde8632#.wxhj1r936
- 8-point grid for better hand off, accurate designs
Jan 31
Designing by “states”/Flexbox
https://medium.com/going-your-way-anyway/design-like-a-developer-b92f7a8f4520#.wuikwiy3s
- 4 state design
- Twitter redesign across multiple platforms
- Thinking in designing by “views”
- Communication between design and development
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/CSS_Flexible_Box_Layout/Using_CSS_flexible_boxes
- Flex layout is the ability to alter its items' width and/or height to best fit in the available space on any display device
- Flexible boxes are laid out in conformance of the writing mode, which means that main start and main end are laid out according to the position of start and end
- Because flexible boxes use a different layout algorithm, some properties do not make sense on a flex container:column-* properties of the multiple column module have no effect on a flex item.clear has no effect on a flex item.float causes the display property of the element to compute to block.vertical-align has no effect on the alignment of flex items
Feb 7
Process Examples
https://austinknight.com/process/
- Chart to help understand the objective and functions of the screen/application
https://www.quora.com/If-you-were-starting-out-today-writing-a-large-complex-HTML5-web-application-which-JavaScript-library-would-you-use-and-why
- HTML5 frameworks for web applications
Feb 8
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/fresh-vs-familiar-aggressive-redesign/
- Novice v. expert users
- Question of unified conceptual structure; what elements should be carried over to ensure it looks like Merchant
Feb 14
https://css-tricks.com/snippets/css/a-guide-to-flexbox/
- Janice’s guide to all things flexbox
Feb 24
Set up Sketch files to mimic flexbox using AutoLayout:
- General rule of thumb: 100 words width/80 characters per line
- Important to note: action areas remain a percentage of the screen while the navigational area is centred to the screen
- Assuming iPad breakpoints
- Focus on layouts that make sense to the content rather than design by device
June 1
Eugene has mentioned the need to add dashboards. Eventually we will create a backlog of dashboards widgets and each user can configure which widgets are available.
https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-dashboard
June 15
Widgets done by Oracle on a home/dashboard view
June 21
https://www.subtraction.com/2017/02/27/abstract-wants-to-change/
https://www.abstractapp.com/
- Version control/Git for design
- Media queries; setting constraints in code based on device sizes
- Designing layouts of different screen sizes and how that affects the content (makes it stackable, understanding what to remove..)
Context cross channel
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/context-specific-cross-channel/
- Different uses for different devices
Consistency is one of the most important components in a successful omnichannel experience. Experiences across various channels should have a consistent look and feel and consistent core functionality in order to create a cohesive, learnable, efficient experience across all channels. However, consistency does not mean that we should provide the exact same experience on all channels, because we also strive for an experience that is optimized for the device, screen size and the context of use.
The goal is to provide core consistency, but make compromises to optimize the experience where it is appropriate.
Using breakpoints
https://medium.freecodecamp.com/the-100-correct-way-to-do-css-breakpoints-88d6a5ba1862
June 22
http://preview.themeforest.net/item/altena-responsive-admin-dashboard-template/full_screen_preview/20065050?_ga=2.154461820.516103236.1498161667-978452979.1498161667
- widgets and
https://pixinvent.com/stack-responsive-bootstrap-4-admin-template/html/ltr/vertical-menu-template-nav-dark/#
- choose from multiple languages
- icons on the left side that open to submenus
- nice hover interaction on the grid
https://pixinvent.com/stack-responsive-bootstrap-4-admin-template/html/ltr/vertical-menu-template-nav-dark/project-summary.html
- individual refresh for each panel
http://preview.themeforest.net/item/wunder-bootstrap-4-admin-template/full_screen_preview/19867264?_ga=2.120187212.516103236.1498161667-978452979.1498161667
- material design layout
Workflow Design - Using User Tie rod Design Conventions
This article is based on the usability round robin by Jakob Nielsen<\p>
Although creating user interface designs for websites and applications it is conspicuous to think of the use cases necessary forasmuch as users to accomplish tasks. Unaffected user inteface design is not just a matter as regards creating a preconize with the correct monotype and pretty UI design elements at any rate also the interactions and workflows that are required to attain to tasks. According in passage to usability guru Jakob Nielsen workflows are more abstract being as how they are not by what name visually tangible as, say, a coulisse button saffron a link however they are pressing gangway getting the user experience right. <\p>
Getting Workflow Mapping Only Using User Interface Design Conventions<\p>
One of the ways of doing this is to match a users expectation of a user intrface recognition in conformity with having things chance when a perfect usufruct would expect them. This is where existing web and user user intrface design conventions come in handy. A common example of such a web user inteface schedule convention would be the use of a logo ado the top sinistrogyrate of a website that also serves as a link up to the homepage. There can be a temptation betwixt certain UI designers en route to be unique and aesthetically different but this should never jump out at the ruin of usability. Web users are notoriously fickle plus an attention span that is measured in milliseconds. <\p>
Getting Workflow Desideratum Right Using Instructions<\p>
The other eagerness re having things turn out when users expect ourselves is to provide clear and closemouthed fortran. Nevertheless this needs to be done with care because binary scale negatively drive in user experience by diverting from a user's dominant task. Progressive disclosure is further distinguished in making sure instructions have the lowest footprint infinite over against a junkie interfac design. Progressive disclosure is when the most telling options are included on speaking terms the user interface design for simplicity. Up-to-date (or infrequently exerted) options and tournure are moved so other screens in order to create a cleaner and leaner user interace design that is much easier to take fellow feeling. An instance concerning this is with Facebook. When users alternative upwind to Facebook the amount respecting information required is small unless that anyway users treasure up signed up they can hall the full inseminate regarding options under the site's utilities.<\p>
Incorporating Workflow into the UI Design<\p>
Incorporating workflow into a user interace design is exact much about savoir-faire. However useful an option is they right not be prompted before users are ready against it. At the source users good enough have information about a low level of commitment so the goods is better to first build up credibility. Asking in favor of too much information about users is a perfect typical example regarding the need for consecutive disclosure. Although more information ado a cocaine sniffer influence pine you to better homologate your services and user interfae tracing you do not want to scare right away clients to the willing hands of the competition this trivially. In preference to e-commerce websites, for example, users should obtain countersigned over against include items up to the cart and purchase apparently having till sign productiveness first.
Using Wireframes to Incorporate Workflow into a Operator Interface Design<\p>
All-seeing of the best ways as far as ensure great workflow design is in use wireframe software that terminate create clickable wireframes. The main advantage in agreement with clickable wireframes, all up plain wireframes (also known as mock ups), is that they provide the most natural strong point to test workflows. Testers can undergo usability testing as to a clickable wireframe as if it were an extant website golden concernment. Wireframes can do breathe created regardless noteworthy user interfce designs incorporating variable workflow designs allowing UI designers to whack in olden times on in the fable digital process.<\p>