Friction, More or Less

In UX circles, we’ve equated friction with bad usability problems and we’ve assumed all friction is bad. Both of these are flawed assumptions begging to be challenged. While the simple message of “Don’t Make Me Think” was crucial to the maturity of our profession, it’s time we explored this topic of friction more thoughtfully, including times when friction is actually good and we most certainly should make people think. To this end, speaker Stephen P. Anderson has identified 6 different types of friction, each distinct from the other, each requiring a different kind of kind of conversation.