Hide actions that are currently inaccessible or irrelevant to the actor.
Related components
Context menus & toolbars: only displaying actions relevant to the current selection or state rather than disabling irrelevant items.
Edge cases
Situation when actors need to understand the full range of potential actions to establish a clear mental model.
Accessibility concerns
Removing UI elements entirely (e.g., changing layout structure) might negatively impact assistive technology.
Related patterns
Alternatives
- Disabled state — hiding options is an alternative to showing them disabled
Related
- Progressive disclosure — a softer form: deferring rather than removing
Preceded by
- Command menu — context menus show only relevant commands, hiding those inaccessible in the current context