An expand/collapse widget is a user interface component that allows users to show or hide content by clicking a button or heading. This helps keep interfaces clean and organized by hiding secondary information until the user needs it.
Using expand/collapse widgets can improve user experience by reducing visual clutter, making pages easier to scan, and allowing users to focus on the information that matters most to them. It's particularly useful for FAQs, settings panels, and content-heavy pages.
This widget is implemented using vanilla JavaScript with CSS transitions for smooth animations. The button toggles classes on both itself and the content container, which triggers the CSS transitions for the expand and collapse effects. No external libraries are required!
When implementing expand/collapse widgets, it's important to ensure they are keyboard accessible and properly announce state changes to screen readers. Consider using ARIA attributes like aria-expanded and aria-controls to improve the experience for users with assistive technologies.