Leveling is the movement of hierarchy between interface environments along the z-axis. It transitions a user’s attention upwards or downwards giving hierarchy to each interface presented.

A Level is an interface environment or plane from which various actions can be performed. In most cases, they are tasks the user can carry out and they result in a Change in Context.

Levels in front of others typically 1) concentrate the user’s attention by interrupting them and taking over Focus, 2) contain more important tasks or content, and 3) control other Levels behind it — such as when making a selection on a blocking Bottom Sheet (Overflow Menu) on mobile apps.

There are three Levels a user can transition to and from:

Level 1 : Core App Experience

: Core App Experience Level 2 : Focused

: Focused Level 3: Precise

Levels have a parent-child relationship giving them hierarchy. The more elevated a user is, fewer actions and distractions are available. It helps to visualize this concept in the form of a pyramid.

Level 1: Core App Experience

Also known as the base level or main app experience, the user spends most of the time in Level 1. Since the main app’s navigation is available, the user tends to navigate in non-linear ways as they may visit several main app’s destinations in the same session.