Week 6: Friction

Not all friction is the same — some of it protects you, some is an accident, and some is there on purpose

29 March 2027

Not all difficulty is equal. A password requirement can protect an account — useful friction — or it can demand a reset every week for no defensible reason — destructive friction wearing the same clothes. This week gives you the distinctions that separate them: useful, accidental, deliberate and destructive friction, and the idea that friction is something you can map, place and measure rather than just suffer.

Outline#

• useful, accidental, deliberate and destructive friction
• five shapes it takes: interaction, cognitive, temporal, emotional and physical
• why a delete confirmation and a fake “are you sure?” wall aren’t the same kind of friction, even though they look identical
• The Friction Lab, this week’s session
• Assessment 2 is due today
• next block: the interface stops being a screen