Progressive Disclosure
How PayMe reveals features gradually — maturity levels, feature gates, and the quest bar for new users.
Progressive Disclosure
PayMe has a lot of features. Showing all of them on day one would overwhelm new users. Instead, the interface reveals complexity gradually as you (and your organization) grow into it.
Maturity levels
Every PayMe organization progresses through maturity levels based on actual usage patterns:
| Level | Name | Unlocks | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Getting started | Timer, task list, manual log | Day 1 |
| 2 | Tracking | Streaks, quick-log, attribution suggestions | After 5+ days of consistent tracking |
| 3 | Planning | Full agenda, deadlines, focus mode | After PM creates allocations + schedules |
| 4 | Optimizing | Load map, budget health, nudges | After first completed project cycle |
| 5 | Mastery | Profit mirror, revenue weighting, what-if scenarios | After 3+ months of active use |
Maturity is assessed per-organization, not per-member. When the org levels up, all members see the new features.
Maturity levels only control visibility — the features exist and work at all levels. PMs can manually unlock any level early from Settings → Features.
Feature gates
Individual features can be toggled independently of the maturity level. PMs control these from Settings → Features:
- Streaks & celebrations — on/off
- Team streaks — on/off (requires streaks)
- Budget colors on timer — on/off
- Flow state glow — on/off
- Smart attribution — on/off
- Stray work — on/off (if off, members can only track allocated projects)
Feature gates are org-wide. Individual members cannot override them.
Quest bar
New members see a quest bar at the top of the task list — a short checklist of first-time actions:
- Start your first timer
- Log time manually
- Complete a task
- Connect Telegram
- Check your morning briefing
Each quest item disappears once completed. When all quests are done, the bar disappears permanently.
The quest bar is a one-time onboarding aid. It doesn't return for experienced members, and PMs can dismiss it for any member from the team page.
How features appear
When a new feature becomes visible (via maturity progression or manual unlock), PayMe doesn't announce it loudly. Instead:
- The feature simply appears in the UI where it belongs
- A subtle "new" badge marks it for 7 days
- The Telegram bot mentions it once in the morning briefing ("New: you can now see budget colors on your timer")
No modal popups. No forced tours. The feature is there when you need it.
Related
- Onboarding — your first day setup checklist
- Key Concepts — the mental model behind PayMe
- Streaks & Motivation — one of the features unlocked at level 2