A friction log is a journal of experiences using a product. These experiences can be emotional responses to using the product: joy, discomfort, resentment, wonder, struggles. It can help in identifying areas where the product can be improved or left as-is.

‘friction’ refers to any unnecessary retardation of a process or activity that delays the user accomplishing a desired action.¹ -

I have used this:

• as a content-engineer, document the friction writers face when using authoring tools.
• as a user of a tool, decide if I want to continue using that tools after my evaluation.
• as a uxer, track user feedback in contextual inquiries

Footnotes

1. Tomalin, M. (2023). Rethinking online friction in the information society. Journal of Information Technology, 38(1), 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/02683962211067812 ↩