Progressive disclosure splits information into layers: the core choice up front, the rest one click away behind "Show all", "Advanced" or "View full comparison". The site uses the term for collapsing secondary content, sequencing setup into steps, and asking for profile data over time instead of all at once.
Jakob Nielsen (2006) describes it as deferring advanced features to a secondary screen so the interface is easier to learn and less error-prone. An early demonstration is Carroll and Carrithers' "training wheels" study (1984): a word processor that blocked advanced functions for beginners helped new users learn faster and make fewer errors than the full system.
On a pricing page, a short summary table with a link to the full comparison lets most visitors decide quickly, while the detail is still there for the buyer who needs it.
How to use it
- Show the three or four plan differences that drive the decision; put the full feature matrix behind "Compare all features".
- Collapse advanced configuration in setup flows behind a clearly labeled row, with sensible defaults already set.
- Ask for profile details when they become useful (team size when inviting, billing address at checkout) rather than all at signup.
Watch out
- Hiding something users need often (or the price, or the cancel option) behind a disclosure makes it look like you are concealing it.
- Too many layers turn into a scavenger hunt; keep it to two levels and make the trigger label say what is inside.
