When Friction is the feature
The harder something is the more people seem to love it. Sounds counterintuitive but here's why. The best reward isn't a badge; it's the feeling of Mastery. Don't reward the user for opening the game but reward them for getting better at the skill the app provides. 🏆
UX design is all about creating the easiest possible user experience, but sometimes, adding a little friction can improve the UX. In video game design, friction can be used to create a sense of realism and immersion. For example, adding a slippery surface whilst the Police are chasing you may make the game more difficult and challenging if playing a racing game. This can be used to create a sense of tension and excitement for the player.
Cognitive Load vs. Emotional Reward:
Friction is physical or mental work. If the emotional "payoff" (the "Victory" screen) isn't bigger than the work put in, the UX fails.
Friction creates Value, but Simplicity creates Scale.
If you want people to love your product, give them a mountain to climb (curated friction). If you want everyone to use your product, build an elevator (zero friction). The most successful games (and apps) build an elevator to get people in the door, but put a mountain at the top to keep them there. Easy to play but hard to master. Good games make it easy to start but hard to win, so you never want to stop
Elden Ring uses high friction (difficulty, no map markers) to create high reward (dopamine hit when you win). Forgiving games use low friction to create consistent engagement. If you find yourself getting bored in a "forgiving" game, it’s usually because the lack of friction has removed the sense of achievement.
Example: Elden Ring
The Goal: Reach the Erdtree.
The Friction: A giant boss (Margit) blocks the path.
The UX Loop: Die ➔ Learn ➔ Explore elsewhere to get stronger ➔ Return ➔ Win.
Psychology: This utilizes the Endowed Progress Effect. When you finally overcome the friction, the "Value" of the victory is 10x higher because you worked for it.
Where Things Most Likely Go Wrong
The "Quit" Threshold: If friction is too high without a "relief valve" (like being able to go explore a different area), players will simply uninstall the game.
Information Scarcity: If a player doesn't understand why they are failing (e.g., hidden stats or scaling), the friction feels "unfair" rather than "challenging."
Tutorials
Hidden Tutorials: Elden Ring "teaches" you through death. Many players miss the literal "Tutorial Hole" at the start because the game doesn't force a pop-up on your screen.
benefits of using friction
The "Wait, Stop!" Button: Apps add friction to keep you from making big mistakes, like deleting a photo by accident 📸.
Speed Bumps: Just like on a road, apps slow you down when you get to a "dangerous" part 🛑.
Double Check: Asking "Are you sure?" is a way to make your brain wake up and think before you click 🧠.
The Oopsie Insurance: Friction is like a safety lock on a door so you don't accidentally walk into a closet 🚪.
"Friction should be proportional to the 'Cost of Error'." 📉 If the mistake costs the user 1 second (like closing a blank tab), zero friction is needed. If the mistake costs the user 10 hours of work (like deleting a save file), you need "Type the name of your character" levels of friction. Design the speed bump to match the crash.
One way to add friction is to create obstacles that block the player’s progress. This can create a sense of tension and frustration, but also a sense of satisfaction when the player finally overcomes the obstacle. This is why Elden ring was so successful.
Friction can also be used to create social interactions between players. For example, players may need to cooperate in order to overcome an obstacle, or they may compete against each other in order to win a prize. These social interactions can make the game more enjoyable and rewarding to play.
Good game balancing is all about keeping playing in that flow state because If the game is too easy, players may become bored and stop playing. However, if the challenges are too difficult, players may become frustrated and give up. The right amount of friction can strike a balance between these two extremes and keep players engaged.
How to introduce friction into your video game design
Here are a few tips for introducing friction into your video game design:
1. Make sure there's a clear goal. Players should always know what they're supposed to do in a game. If the goal is unclear or there is no alternative goals, players can become frustrated and lost.
2. Introduce new challenges gradually. Don't overwhelm players with too much at once. Instead, introduce new challenges slowly over time so that players can adapt and learn as they go.
3. Give players feedback. letting players know how they're doing is crucial for keeping them engaged. Be sure to give feedback on their progress, whether it's positive or negative.
4. Allow for failure. It's important to let players fail sometimes so that they can learn from their mistakes and feel a sense of
The drawbacks of using friction in video games
Dark Patterns: Making the "Unsubscribe" or "Quit" process too high-friction (like making you call a phone number) turns helpful friction into a "hostile" user experience.
Friction should be kept to improve the challenge of the game or help users in apps from making mistakes but not how hard it is to use the menus and settings.
Conclusion
Friction can be a good thing in video game UX design for a number of reasons but of course, too much friction can also be a bad thing, so designers need to strike a balance. However, when used correctly, friction can be a powerful tool for making video games more enjoyable for everyone involved. Thanks for Reading!