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11 th International Symposium for GIS and Computer Cartography for Coastal Zones Managementplore coastal maps” and “Map public beaches, biology, slope stability and more”. Active wording was also used,such as “find”, “map”, “explore”, or “search”, to direct users to the different resources available in the atlas.Progressive disclosureTime and effort were put into mock-ups and redevelopment efforts of each component of the atlas to considerwhat a user needed to know when visiting a page versus what they might want to know. Ways were found to includeprogressive disclosure in the design. Progressive disclosure is used to enable users to show or hide information suchas links, legends or extended forms (Microsoft, 2013). "Good usability includes ideas like progressive disclosurewhere you show a small number of features to the less experienced user to lower the hurdle of getting started and yethave a larger number of features available for the expert to call up" (Sitepoint.com, 2002). Simplifying page contentmakes it easier for all users, less experienced as well as expert, to quickly scan for information and tasks of interest.One of the progressive disclosure techniques used in the coastal atlas is to put content in multiple pages. In theFlood Hazard Maps tool, a user is first prompted to enter in an address, county or city to search for. The second pagetakes them to a map zoomed into their geographic area of interest. When they click on a feature in the map, a calloutwindow appears that gives them the information they need to find the FEMA flood map for that location. Anotherexample is information on downloadable data, which is only of interest to a small number of users using the PublicBeach Access tool. A “Download data” link on the various pages takes the user to a web page showing all of thedownloadable data available for that theme.Another technique was the use of megamenus, which are pop-up panels that expand content for a page element.These give designers flexibility to customize menus so that users can more quickly browse and make their choices,such as using images or presenting options in logical groupings rather than linear lists of text. An example of this inthe atlas is the expandable search options in the Public Beach Access tool (Figure 1, left). The blue left-hand columnon the page contains a few search options (county, city, beach, or region). When a user clicks the “More searchoptions” link below the search form, a larger megamenu appears which enables the user to also filter their search byindividual activities and amenities that they are interested in.Another way of revealing additional information is using a link that expands content (often symbolized by +/- or>/< symbols). An example of this is shown in the callout panel on the Coastal Atlas Map (Figure 1, right) when auser selects a point on the map. The default view for each point lists the city, county, latitude, and longitude for thepoint. Clicking on the “More” link expands the panel to display information that is only useful to some users: Township,Range, Section, and WRIA. This information can be rehidden if the user selects the “Hide” link.Figure 1. (left) Example of a megamenu from the Public Beaches tool. When a user selects the link “More search options” in theleft search bar, the megamenu appears and gives users the opportunity to perform a more filtered search. (right) Example ofexpandable content, from the Coastal Atlas Map. More information about a selected point is revealed when a user clicks the“More” link. The information can be hidden again by clicking “Hide”.169