Designed for Use, 2nd Edition

When to Make Things Discoverable

Not every feature of your product is relevant at all times. Depending on what a user is currently attempting to do, different features should receive emphasis. So after you’ve decided which features should be discoverable, you should decide when they need to be discoverable.

What are different kinds of tasks people use your product for? Can you know what people are trying to do, based on how they use your product? If so, can you adapt the user interface to fit the user’s current task, emphasizing features they might need, and deemphasizing or even hiding ones that are less relevant for that task?

As an example, let’s say you’re working on a vector drawing app. An important feature of such an app is the ability ...