Make the right things easier and the wrong things harder

Friction is a form of obstruction.

It’s the force resisting the relative motion of elements sliding against each other.

But it’s a neutral reaction. Friction can have both positive and negative effects. It all depends on context and intention.

Rubbing a stick against a surface fast enough and long enough can create fire. Which can either be used to cook food and stay warm, or incinerate an entire forest. It’s all relative.

Another example is an online checkout system. Retailers that require customers to fill out too many fields of personal information will destroy their conversion rate and lose sales. Whereas other companies might add two or three specific qualifying questions to their contact form as a way to filter out spam and non serious buyers. That’s friction too.

The goal is to make the right things easier and the wrong things harder.

I used to joke to my friends that I never carried cash, because I would just spend it. They always laughed at me, since it sounds absurd and simplistic. But it’s also quite useful. The strategy of not carrying cash helps me from falling into addictive spending patterns. Although with modern payment tools there’s not as much friction as there used to be.

When I was in college, if I didn’t have cash, the conversation was over. Maybe a credit or debit card could get the job done, although it was the late nineties. Tech companies had not quite yet figured out how to make transferring money seamless. Now it’s almost scary how frictionless it is.

When I busk at the park, people often say they’d love to tip me, but they don’t carry cash. To which I will say, often with a wink, that’s okay, do you carry a phone?

If they say yes, I point to the qr code on my tip jar and smile. It works. I was amazed how much more money I made when I started giving people the option to transfer tips digitally. Decrease friction, increase revenues.

Who knew?