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In a popular episode of The Frictionless Experience, Nick Paladino and I discussed the concept of the "Five Friction Forces" that can hinder a brand's digital experience and impact customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately revenue.
Drawing inspiration from Michael Porter's Five Forces, these friction forces highlight the key areas where digital experiences falter. Let's dive into these Five Friction Forces and explore how they can either drive or derail digital success.
1. Marketing: The Foundation of Expectation
Marketing sets the stage for the digital experience by crafting and communicating promises to users. It's often the first interaction potential customers have with a brand. Whether it's an email campaign, a social media ad, or an organic search result, marketing not only drives traffic but also sets an expectation.
As Nick explained, "Marketing builds the expectation that your customers are wanting as they enter your experience."
The problem arises when the promise doesn't align with the actual digital experience. When there's a mismatch, it leads to immediate friction. For example, directing users from a yoga pants ad to a page about yoga computers creates confusion and breaks trust. This confusion can lead to high bounce rates, abandoned carts, or a loss of customer faith.
Mark Friedman, a direct-to-consumer (DTC) rockstar, emphasized the importance of capitalizing on existing traffic rather than solely focusing on increasing it:
"So many brands come to me and say, 'We need more traffic.' My answer is, 'You don't need more traffic; you need to do more with the traffic that you're getting'".
2. Seasonality: The Power of Timeliness
Seasonality plays a critical role in digital experiences, especially for brands in industries that experience traffic fluctuations throughout the year. Holidays, special promotions, or unexpected surges in interest can either elevate a brand or strain its systems to the breaking point.
Mike Lively, SVP of Engineering at Slickdeals, shared an example of how seasonality can catch brands off guard. His company's site experienced an unexpected surge when it was mentioned on the Bill O'Reilly Show. This influx of traffic led to a strain on their systems, causing them to scramble to accommodate the sudden increase in users. This kind of situation emphasizes the importance of preparing for both expected and unexpected seasonal traffic spikes.
Seasonality isn't just about accommodating peaks; it's also about optimizing for the lulls.
Nick explained, "Seasonality is well more than just Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It's about understanding the lows as much as the highs.". Brands must optimize experiences for every season, not just the busy periods, to ensure continuous engagement and conversion.
3. Site Functionality: Usability is Key
Site functionality and usability are cornerstones of any digital experience. Even if you have the best marketing campaign or seasonal offer, if your site isn't easy to navigate, users will quickly abandon their journey.
Mike Shady, former SVP at Lowe's, offered a memorable analogy regarding site functionality, describing it as a ladder users climb. He explained that each rung represents a positive experience, but when something goes wrong—such as a delayed delivery or faulty product—the customer falls off that ladder, and it's a long way down.
"The injuries are a lot greater when you fall from the top of the ladder than the first rung," Shady said. This highlights the importance of maintaining a seamless experience throughout the customer journey.
Additionally, Shady pointed out how returning customers are more likely to encounter issues because they interact with the site more frequently, making it critical for brands to focus on site functionality and resolve usability issues before they erode customer loyalty.
4. Design (Formerly Aesthetics): More Than Just Looks
Initially, this friction force was called "Aesthetics," but after a compelling discussion with Paul Stonic, VP at SCAD Pro, the concept evolved to focus on "Design." While aesthetics plays a role in creating visually appealing experiences, design encompasses the broader aspect of how a site works, how users navigate, and how they complete their goals.
Paul emphasized the importance of design thinking in solving problems through a human-centered approach. He discussed a SCAD Pro project for Chick-fil-A, where students created the tablet-driven order system used in drive-thrus. This is a prime example of marrying physical and digital experiences to create a smoother customer experience.
Paul noted, "You can take your beautiful designs upstairs, but if it's not attached to any sort of business value, nobody's going to care." This remark underscores the importance of design not just being about looks but also about function, problem-solving, and delivering tangible value for both the business and its users.
5. Speed: Fast is Not Always Better
The fifth and final friction force is speed—an area many brands wrongly prioritize as the most important factor in site performance. While speed is crucial, it needs to be understood in the context of the overall user experience.
Kenny from Wyndham Hotels discussed how balancing speed with content is essential for creating a meaningful experience. His example of reducing content to make a site faster but losing conversions underscores the fact that faster doesn't always mean better. Customers booking hotels need rich imagery, detailed reviews, and comprehensive property descriptions to make informed decisions. Stripping that down to improve speed would ultimately degrade the user experience.
As Nick explained, "Speed out of context erodes the value of the other four friction forces." In other words, a fast site that doesn't meet user needs or expectations is just as bad—if not worse—than a slow site.
Understanding the Balance
The Five Friction Forces—Marketing, Seasonality, Site Functionality, Design, and Speed—are interconnected elements that brands need to balance to create a truly frictionless digital experience. No single force should be prioritized at the expense of others. Instead, brands must look at the entire customer journey holistically.
To create a truly seamless experience, brands should focus on optimizing these forces in tandem. Marketing needs to set the right expectations, seasonality must be managed carefully, site functionality should be flawless, design must be intuitive and user-centered, and speed should always be contextual.
As Nick aptly put it, "There's no one-size-fits-all solution to site performance." It's not just about being fast; it's about creating the best possible experience for your specific audience, in every aspect of the digital journey.
What's your take? Have you encountered any of these friction forces impacting your digital experience?
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