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Developing Performance Support Products
Published in James R. Williams, Developing Performance Support for Computer Systems, 2004
Help structure also includes the help system’s hierarchical structure, i.e., the organization of the help topics in terms of detail. A useful approach to develop the hierarchical structure is a “top-down” process built around the concept of progressive disclosure of layered information. This concept involves breaking down information into layers of successively more detail that can be accessed progressively by the user as needed. In this way, information is readily accessible, but information not currently needed does not get in the way or compete for attention with information that is needed to complete the immediate task. Progressive disclosure is particularly useful to support novices as well as experts. A simple example of this approach is a popup description of a window or a control with a button at the bottom for obtaining more detailed information. An example of a requirement for progressive disclosure is: “Release 2, HLP-R4: All help systems will layer help information from basic to detailed to support users of different skill levels. Layers will be accessible progressively by a single click or command.”
The Innovation Process Model
Published in Frank Voehl, H. James Harrington, Rick Fernandez, Brett Trusko, The Framework for Innovation, 2018
Frank Voehl, H. James Harrington, Rick Fernandez, Brett Trusko
Progressive disclosure is a technique for managing information complexity. When you use progressive disclosure, you show only the information necessary at that point in the interaction. And you display more advanced functionalities of the app interface, as the user interacts with it.
From Parking Meters to Vending Machines: A Study of Usability Issues in Self-Service Technologies
Published in International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 2023
Hamish Henderson, Kazjon Grace, Natalia Gulbransen-Diaz, Brittany Klaassens, Tuck Wah Leong, Martin Tomitsch
Our study highlighted that SSTs which presented their instructions all at once tended to overwhelm users, who were unsure where to start. By contrast, those SSTs which present little or no information tended to confuse their users, who were instead unsure how to start. One approach to reconciling this tension in the design of future SSTs is by progressively disclosing guidance. Progressive Disclosure, a well-known interface design principle (Nielsen, 2006), calls for key information to be revealed incrementally and only as required. In the context of SSTs, this would allow users to cognitively process only what they are required to, thereby reducing the chance they become overwhelmed. This provides the basis for our first design consideration:SST interactions are infrequent and unfamiliar and thereby happen in conditions of limited cognitive bandwidth. This cognitive budget needs to be balanced carefully, including through the use of techniques like progressive disclosure, guidance, and feedback.