Little Glossary · Web and conversion
Friction
Friction is anything that makes it harder or slower for someone to complete an action on a website or in a product: extra fields, unnecessary steps, confusing copy, waiting or unanswered doubts.
Types of friction
- Interaction: the clicks, steps, fields and scrolling required. Nielsen Norman Group calls this interaction cost: the sum of the physical and mental effort needed to reach a goal.
- Cognitive: what users have to think through or interpret. Jargon, unclear options, too many choices.
- Emotional: doubts and perceived risks. Will they call me nonstop? Can I cancel? What will they do with my data?
- Technical: slow pages, errors, forms that wipe what you typed.
Where it shows up in B2B tech
- Demo forms with ten fields when four would do.
- Prices hidden behind "Contact sales".
- Sign-up that requires a credit card before seeing the product.
- Mandatory work email with no explanation.
- Meetings arranged over several emails instead of with a booking calendar.
Good friction
Not all friction is bad. Sometimes it's worth adding:
- To confirm destructive actions, such as deleting a project.
- To qualify: a couple of extra form questions can filter out requests sales can't handle.
- To reassure: a review screen before paying.
The point isn't to remove all of it, but to make sure every step has a reason.
How to spot it
- Session recordings and heatmaps on key pages.
- Form analytics: which field people abandon on.
- Usability tests, watching where users hesitate.
- Going through the process yourself on a phone with a slow connection.
Related terms
Sources
- Nielsen Norman Group, Interaction Cost.
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