What’s friction and how to work with it?

When working with a digital product, there is a term that is quite common and important when thinking about communication delivery.

Friction in a digital environment is related to all interruptions a user might find in their customer journey. It could be from issues in the registration flow or an uncomfortable UX while using our app to problems related to the payment methods available in our product, for instance. However, the messages we send to users while they are using our app could be just as disruptive as a bad experience. Instead of boosting sales, they could become the reason a customer decides to leave.

That’s why it is so important to understand how frequently our customers are willing to hear from us. As always, the best way to understand this is through testing and more testing. The reality of a mobility app like Uber or a delivery app like Uber Eats is not the same as that of a bank. For that reason, we need to build a good relationship with our customers while also understanding the limits of their willingness to engage with us.

Based on theories explained by Sean Ellis in many books, we can define two types of friction:

• Positive friction: This is more about encouraging interruptions in the user flow, but only when the benefits could be more valuable than the disruption itself. In this case, we are not talking about typical pop-up promotions. Instead, we refer to communications that encourage customers to engage with gamification in their experience or surveys that provide valuable insights beyond simple data analysis. This approach can help reactivate customer interaction.
• Negative friction: In simple terms, being annoying. No one wants to be interrupted while performing a specific action. If we consider a traditional banking app, let’s be honest, we are there for a reason, whether checking an account or making a transfer. So, if a user has never interacted with anything related to crypto investment, it doesn’t make sense to receive communication about it, especially if they are not in the target audience for that service. However, it’s different if they are a target user and have previously shown interest. That’s why segmentation and timing are crucial when building a communication flow.

So, let’s do this exercise: before sending anything to anyone (this also applies in your personal life), think about whether the recipient truly wants to receive that information. Over-sharing can be dangerous, not just in our personal and professional lives, but also in our relationship with our customers.

Hope you have enjoyed this edition, see you next week. ??