Friction Logs: The Key to Unlocking Product Growth

Product friction is crucial for understanding usability and improving user engagement. It comes in two forms - motivational friction, where users lack motivation to continue despite being able to perform actions, and ability friction, where they are unable to take desired actions due to various reasons. Friction logs can help identify these issues by documenting the end-to-end experience of a user while using a product. They provide insights into areas that need improvement and can drive product growth, develop user empathy, put user issues into context, inform teams about product UX, and uncover new experiment ideas. Regular friction logs should be done by anyone who can use the product, including new hires and non-technical staff. The process involves deciding on a task, including key details, establishing a color-coded system for logging, storytelling the process, and sharing findings with relevant teams.