← Fieldnotes

Chris Gibbons 1 min read

Fieldnotes #08

On friction — in interfaces, in routines, and what it's trying to tell you.

I’ve started paying more attention to moments of friction — not just in interfaces, but in my own routines.

Where do I hesitate? Where do I compensate? Where do I quietly accept something as ‘just how it is’?

Those moments are instructive. They point to places where design — of systems, habits, or environments — hasn’t quite met reality.

I’m trying not to smooth them over too quickly. Sometimes friction is telling you something important.