Friction
A task can include necessary pauses or avoidable obstacles. Requesting information already available, clearing a form after an error or requiring a very precise tap adds work.
Not all friction is harmful. Reviewing a purchase or confirming an irreversible action can protect the person. The aim is to distinguish useful effort from work that adds no value.
What it means
Friction describes an experience rather than a single metric. Identify where it occurs and its consequences before removing steps indiscriminately.
Origin of the concept
In design, friction is a metaphor for obstacles and effort during an interaction. It relates to task analysis and interaction cost, which considers physical actions and mental work. It is not a single law with a universal origin date, and it does not mean that every additional step should be removed.
Application in UX
Observe corrections, repeated actions and moments of uncertainty. Preserve information already entered and explain how to recover from errors. Fewer clicks do not always make a task easier to understand.
Distinguish accidental barriers from deliberate pauses. Confirmation before deleting data can protect an important decision; requiring information already available adds work without that purpose. Describe the specific obstacle, its context and the people affected before proposing a simplification or measuring its consequences.
Application in ecommerce
Requesting unnecessary information during checkout can increase work. A clear review of the amount and delivery details, however, helps identify mistakes before payment.
During shopping, unexpected costs, repetitive forms or errors without guidance can interrupt progress. However, reviewing an address or confirming a sensitive operation may prevent later problems. Observe the whole journey: removing a step does not help if it transfers effort to support or increases orders that subsequently need correction.
Practical example
Imagine a postcode that fails validation. Explaining the expected format and preserving the address allows correction without starting again. This is an improvement hypothesis to test by observing error recovery and task completion.
Common mistakes
Treating every pause as negative can remove useful safeguards. Counting clicks while ignoring comprehension and error recovery is another mistake. Do not use friction as a generic explanation for conversion drops: identify the task, expectations and obstacle through observation and available evidence, without inventing a causal relationship.