Marketing Dictionary
Friction
Definition
Any element of your website that is confusing, distracting, or causes visitors to leave your page.
Deep Dive
In the context of websites, applications, and user experience (UX), friction refers to any element or process that creates difficulty, confusion, distraction, or frustration for a user, impeding their ability to achieve their desired goal. It encompasses anything that makes an interaction less smooth, intuitive, or efficient, causing visitors to hesitate, abandon a task, or leave a page prematurely. High friction directly translates to poor user experience, which can lead to increased bounce rates, decreased engagement, and ultimately, lost conversions.
Examples & Use Cases
- 1A website with excessively slow page loading times that discourages users from waiting
- 2A checkout process requiring an unreasonable number of steps and redundant information
- 3Confusing or inconsistent navigation menus that make it difficult for users to find specific content.
Related Terms
User Experience (UX)Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)Usability