Removing Friction from your Website

In science, friction happens when objects rub against each other, and it’s often an unpleasant experience that can always be remedied with a generous application of oil. In websites, meanwhile, friction is a different thing altogether, if equally unpleasant. This happens when a website is too complicated to navigate, earning the ire and frustration of a user. If your website has too much friction, it would ultimately result in reduced customer engagement, which is something that you wouldn’t want to happen.

Does Your Website Have Friction?

Friction is generally defined as anything that hinders user from achieving their goals when visiting your website, such as distracting visuals, unnecessary actions, inconsistencies in your website’s interface, or confusing functions. For instance, if a user had to take several steps just to send a message to you, your website probably has friction.

Minimizing Friction

Much like how oil can reduce friction between two objects, you can reduce friction on your website by making some changes in your web design. You can start by doing away with all the unnecessary things and functions and opting instead to focus more on the content. Try to set up an overall rhythm on your website, but don’t overdo it lest you bore users. Though there are several content types you can post, from blog posts to images and videos, remember to only include those that will help the users more to achieve their goals when visiting your website.