Towards the physical basis of how intrinsic disorder mediates protein function

► Physical basis of intrinsic disorder for function remains to be established. ► Detailed characterization of dynamic conformational ensembles of IDPs is necessary. ► Integrated computational and experimental strategies are the most effective. ► Induced folding-like mechanisms appear to be prevalent in IDP recognition. ► Efficient folding upon encounter is required for fast IDP association kinetics.