27. People Process Information Better in Bite-Sized Chunks

27: Processing in Bite Sized Chunks

Understanding Progressive Disclosure

Progressive Disclosure

DEFINITION Progressive disclosure is the act of disseminating information in a series of small chunks that enables the end user to better select what and how they want to learn. This can result in better engagement and an overall improved understanding of the content that is being shared. 

Informationbreakdown (binary/octet-stream)

Brain (binary/octet-stream)

Caption: : Red is the consciously processed informarion. Black is unconsciously processed.

The Conscious vs. Unconscious Brain

While the human brain can handle vasts amount of information every second, the actual amount that a person is consciously aware of is extremely small. As designers, we need to be aware of this fact so that we don't provide an information overload that will turn end users away instead of drawing them into the message we are trying to convey.

Things to Remember...

Progressive Disclosure is a useful way to present information to an end user in a manner that gives him/her some flexibility to learn the amount of information that is best suited for their unique situation.   It is ok to have a user click through additional pages of information so long as it is organized in an easy to understand format.

Never use progressive disclosure without first researching the needs of your end user. Presenting information in an unorganized manner can lead to frustration and wasted time when data isn't efficiently structured.   For more information, check out the book by Steve Krug entitled; "Don't Make Me Think".