Points of friction in web design

web design manchester

Web design is all about creating the best possible user experience, that makes life easy for website visitors and potential customers. After all, the easier it is for users to sign up or purchase from your website, the more likely they are to do it. But what about points of friction? What is friction in web design, and how can good web design avoid it? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design professionals. And we work with a range of companies and clients around the region to provide web design solutions that are both practical and creative. As a result, we have produced this guide to points of friction in web design.

What is friction in web design?

First of all, what is friction in web design? Well, simply put, a point of friction is a point where users are prevented from achieving their goals. It can be an interruption, that forces an interaction, that doesn’t help the user to get to where they want to go. As a result, points of friction in web design can really increase bounce rates, and lead to lower conversions.

Friction can be good…

At the same time, there may be some instances where creating a point of friction can be a positive move. For example,

  • a pop-up that asks the user to think twice when entering the wrong email can be a helpful and positive use of friction
  • friction can be used to ask the user if they are sure they want to leave your mailing list. And if you have something to offer, to entice them back, you might find this point of friction can be useful.
  • all forms of error capture are generally friction points that are absolutely necessary

…but most of the time it’s bad

Cluttered screens, poor design choices, and a lack of design consistency are all points of friction in web design. And these can prevent users from finding the information they need, or from following the purchasing path laid out. Let’s face it, web design doesn’t exist to frustrate, distract or confuse users. So for the most part, friction is something to be avoided.

Avoiding points of friction in web design

So to create a smooth, flowing website with no friction, you should seriously consider the:

  • content and layout
  • consistency of design
  • number of steps to achieve the goal

Content and layout

One of the biggest sticking points in web design comes down to the content and layout. If someone has landed on your website in the hopes of finding particular information, yet all they see is a mass of text, and content that is hard to distinguish, they will just as quickly hit the back button. So make it easy for your users to find the relevant information by:

  • breaking the content into sections and segments
  • using the heading tags appropriately
  • making use of the white-space to give each element room to be seen

Consistent design

If a user opens a page that doesn’t fit with the rest of the design on the website, they will certainly be confused. Anything from the colour scheme to the typography or button design needs to be consistent throughout your website. Otherwise you can make users think twice about your company.

Number of steps

To create a positive user experience, the user needs to be able to get to their desired page within the least number of steps as possible. Additional steps that get in the way, can frustrate users and make your website less likely to achieve high conversion rates.

For more information or advice about web design in Manchester, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.