Re:Why friction is necessary for growth
by majeedkazemi on Monday September 29, 2025 @01:30PM
(#45416463)
yeah, friction should be designed to be meaningful and not just feel frustrating or like a barrier. it should empower the user.
in our research, we found that an AI agent which involves the user in each step of the process (e.g. asking them to check the AI’s assumptions, or edit them directly if they’re not good) ends up being a bit slower -- i.e. more friction -- but gives the user more control. And when compared with an AI agent that provides less control but faster, users preferred the slower agent which provided more agency.
in our research, we found that an AI agent which involves the user in each step of the process (e.g. asking them to check the AI’s assumptions, or edit them directly if they’re not good) ends up being a bit slower -- i.e. more friction -- but gives the user more control. And when compared with an AI agent that provides less control but faster, users preferred the slower agent which provided more agency.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3654777.3676345