Password protected content / Modal dialog or submission form up-front?

Question

I'm working on a page, where a portion of the information is going to be protected by a password. Would it be beneficial to have text that says "Please enter password to view content" right up front in the section or would it be better to have a button that says "view content" then open a modal to enter the password. I know it might be smoother to have the password entry up front but I'm wondering if having a extra step in the form of a modal might work as a deterrent since it is sensitive content. Is there any benefit to hiding the password entry form as well? The sensitive content would ideally load in the same page.

Answer 1

If the content itself is JUST password protected than ya, the "view content" with modal makes more sense. This allows them to view the content available and then view the protected content when necessary.

"view protected content" > modal to enter password > password confirmed > show content in page.

If the content is available only to those who have an account (like this content is only available to logged in users) than I wouldn't show anything until they are logged in. Users who don't have a login don't need to see that info anyway. I don't think in that case you need to call out the hidden content anywhere on the page because logged in users are generally logged in and they will see the content.