Don't Show Them Everything at Once

Why Progressive Disclosure is a Manager's Secret Weapon

Welcome to Frank Takeaways. I'm Frank, writing the notes worth keeping from decades at companies like Slack, Etsy, and Google. I run a coaching practice dedicated to guiding leaders through the tricky stuff of building products and high-performing teams.

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You're at an izakaya restaurant in Manhattan, staring down at the overly complicated tablet ordering system. Dozens of dishes, countless modifications, nested menus that lead to more menus. You're hungry, overwhelmed, and increasingly annoyed. You just want dinner, not a design puzzle.

When you finally need help, you discover that even requesting human assistance requires navigating to a sub-menu where you literally add "server" to your cart and select quantity. "Just give me the next step," you mutter, before flagging down an actual human, relieved to bypass the digital absurdity.

That night stuck with you be…