The grey button that tells your user what's coming.

Design · 4 min read

I was working on an education app where not all the content was ready at launch. Some modules were complete. Others were still being written. The client's instinct was to hide the unfinished modules entirely. Just show what's available now and add the rest later. Clean and simple.

But I pushed back. Instead of hiding those modules, we greyed them out. Visible, but not yet tappable. A small label underneath each one saying "Coming soon." The client was sceptical. Why show something the user can't use? Because a visible, greyed-out module does three things that a hidden one never can.

It tells them there's more

When a user opens the app and sees six active modules and four greyed-out ones, they immediately understand the scope of the product. This isn't all there is. More content is on its way. That changes the perception of value. Instead of thinking "is this it?", they think "there's more coming." It's the difference between an app that feels finished and small versus one that feels alive and growing.

It also gives users a reason to come back. If they've completed the available modules, the greyed-out ones tell them there's something to return for. Without them, a user who finishes everything might never open the app again. With them, they'll check back. "Is Module 7 available yet?" That's organic retention built into the interface itself.

And it reduces overwhelm. Showing everything at once, all active, all tappable, gives the user too many choices. Greying out the modules that aren't ready yet narrows the active options without hiding the bigger picture. The user knows where to focus now, and they know what's next.

Progressive disclosure in practice

This is a design principle called progressive disclosure. Jakob Nielsen wrote about it back in 2006. The idea is simple: show only what the user needs right now, but hint at what comes next. It improves learnability because new users aren't overwhelmed with every feature on day one. It improves efficiency because experienced users can see what's available without digging through menus. And it reduces errors because users aren't accidentally tapping on things that aren't ready.

Hick's Law supports this too. Decision time increases with every option you add. If a user sees ten active modules, they spend more time deciding where to start than if they see six active and four greyed out. The grey ones don't compete for attention. They provide context without adding cognitive load. Fewer active choices means faster decisions.

The grey button isn't a placeholder. It's a promise. It tells the user that the product is being actively developed and that their investment in learning the app will continue to pay off over time.

Using this in your own app

If you're launching with a subset of your planned features, don't hide the ones that aren't ready. Show them. Grey them out. Add a "coming soon" label. Let users see the roadmap built into the product itself. It creates anticipation. It builds trust. And it makes the launch feel like the beginning of something, not the whole thing.

This works for modules, features, content sections, even entire user roles. If your app will eventually support admin users but doesn't yet, a greyed-out "Admin" tab tells early adopters that it's on the way. They don't need to email you asking about it. The app already told them.

The client who wanted to hide everything? After launch, users were asking about the greyed-out modules. "When's Module 7 coming?" That's exactly the response you want. People engaged enough to ask for more. The grey button turned into the best piece of in-product marketing we never planned.

Sources
Progressive Disclosure (Nielsen, 2006, Nielsen Norman Group) - Progressive disclosure improves learnability and efficiency by showing only what's needed now and hinting at what comes next.

Related blog posts:

The default matters more than the option →

Phase two is not a graveyard →

Fewer screens forced better thinking →