Glossary
Friction
Also: design friction
Any deliberate impediment to action; harmful or protective depending on whose interest it serves.
Friction is neutral in itself: a confirmation step that prevents accidental spending is protective friction, while a buried cancellation flow is adversarial friction (sludge). Asymmetry is the tell — protective choices made hard while provider-favouring choices are made effortless.
See also
References
- Newall, P. W. S. (2025). Sludge, dark patterns and dark nudges: A taxonomy of online gambling platforms' deceptive design features. Addiction. doi.org/10.1111/add.70085 · citing patterns