Control hiding means that the control should not be visible on screen when it is irrelevant to the situation.
When irrelevant controls are displayed on screen, users tend to be aware of them even though they are irrelevant. Consequently, showing the control requires that users scan more controls, resulting in additional mental workload and performance degradation. Hiding the irrelevant controls limits this extra scanning.
If the controls are shown only when they are relevant, then the user interface is not visually consistent. Users may be confused by the changes, and it may take them longer to learn the system behavior. In addition, if they have not had an opportunity to see the control before, the users may be unaware of the control's existence when they eventually need it.
Updated on 29 Feb 2016.