Tips for Reducing Friction in User Experience

Over 80% of users skim, so when a PDP tries to say everything at once, it ends up saying nothing. A cluttered PDP gets more friction than function. Overwhelming users, leading to: - less time spent on page - missing value cues - fewer checkouts A well structured PDP doesn’t overwhelm, rather presents the information in a clear and digestible manner. Encouraging them to take action. In this post, I’ve broken down 12 changes I made to make the PDP easier to read and more focused on what actually helps users purchase. 1. Highlight customer satisfaction upfront. Show how many customers have purchased in the announcement bar. This builds immediate social proof that stays on all your pages. 2. Add benefit-focused badges above the product name. These help shoppers understand what key problems the product solves without needing to read through paragraphs. 3. Keep the title clear, and use a short subtitle to summarise the product and its core benefit. This helps users get both the “what” and the “why” at a glance. 4. Show the number of reviews beside the rating. It adds transparency and makes the rating feel more trustworthy, especially for first-time visitors. 5. Clarify price and pack size early. It saves users from searching for basic details which keeps attention focused on the purchase. 6. Use a context-rich main image. Featuring the product in its real-world use makes it easier to understand what’s being sold and how it fits into everyday life. 7. Expand image thumbnails beyond angles. Include images that show packaging and portion size to help customers evaluate fit and quality. 8. Add 2–3 bullet points above the fold. These help break down the product’s key benefits clearly, making it easier for skimmers to understand what makes it different. 9. Reinforce trust near the Add to Cart section. This is where buying hesitation happens so highlight things like delivery speed, return policies, or support to reduce friction. 10. Use icon-based highlights instead of long descriptions. Visual markers help users absorb information faster and keep the layout clean and scannable. 11. Break down product details visually. Showing ingredient percentages or content breakdowns in a simplified format helps make complex info more digestible. 12. Use accordions (not horizontal tabs). This allows users to expand only what they need, keeping the page organized and improving mobile usability. 13. Bring related variants closer to the decision zone. Show similar options earlier to help customers switch easily without needing to scroll to the bottom. Other UI/UX changes I did – Reduced text density to improve readability – Used consistent icons to simplify scanning – Added color cues for visual balance Found this useful? Let me know in the comments. PS: This checklist helps PDPs be clear and easy to follow without cramming in too much at once. This in turn will help the users make informed decisions that drive action. 

Ever tapped the wrong button on a healthcare app because they were all crammed together like a bad game of Tetris? That’s not just annoying. It’s a usability failure. And in healthcare, that means missed refills, skipped messages, or abandoned appointments. Ease of Use is one of the most overlooked (but most critical) dimensions of digital patient experience. When interfaces are hard to tap, guessy to navigate, or visually overwhelming, patients drop off—or never engage to begin with. Here are 5 UX fixes to make healthcare tools feel effortless across devices: 1️⃣ 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝘃𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 Follow the Don’t Make Me Think rule. If a button looks like plain text, it’s not a button. If users have to guess what’s clickable, they’ll guess wrong. 2️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘁𝘆 Use common patterns that feel natural. Patients shouldn’t have to “learn your interface” just to book a flu shot. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗽 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 Especially for older adults and low-vision users, tap targets should be at least 1 cm x 1 cm with adequate padding. This isn’t just best practice — it’s accessibility 101. 4️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆 Support natural gestures — swiping, pinching, tapping — especially for scrolling long results or zooming into care instructions. 5️⃣ 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 Use bright colors for actions that move users forward. If everything is bold, nothing is clear. Prioritize clarity over decoration. When digital care is easy, patients trust it. When it’s clunky, they opt out. 💬 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: Well-designed UX reduces patient errors and data-entry mistakes, which means fewer compliance headaches for your team. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀? Let’s apply the PX Scale and uncover where friction is hiding: https://lnkd.in/gVd7Vd-z Because in healthcare UX, friction isn’t just a design flaw — it’s a barrier to care. #HealthcareUX #DigitalHealth #PatientExperience #UXDesign #AccessibilityMatters #DesignForOutcomes #ComplianceByDesign

Most brands think their checkout friction is about tech Wrong It’s about all the stuff you decided before checkout that made the experience clunky Here’s where friction 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 starts: 𝟭. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 You’ve got a free shipping bar that only shows 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 I add something Or a discount code field that looks like it’s for people who know something I don’t Now I’m thinking, wait... should I go find a code? Every second I spend here = lower chance I convert 𝟮. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻 Create an account to continue  Why?  You just turned intent into a task Guest checkout should be the default unless you really have a valid reason to have it, and I do not care what you accounting or IT team said 𝟯. 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 This is a big one  You show: 3 shipping speeds or oprions 5 payment methods 5 upsells That’s friction You’re turning checkout into a quiz Default me into the 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 path Let me change it if I want But don’t ask me to configure everything 𝟰. 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱... 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 You tested on desktop But 78% of your traffic is mobile And your sticky Pay Now button overlaps with the Apple Pay modal Or worse... the CTA disappears unless you scroll That’s not mobile-optimized That’s mobile-neglected Oh, and if you tested mobile by resizing your screen or using dev tools…umm, that is not best practice. Far from it. Get your phone out and do it as your buyer would. 𝟱. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 Let’s say I’m a new customer I’ve never bought from you You’re not on Amazon Do I see: Secure checkout badge? Trusted payment logos? Reinforcements about easy returns and/or exchanges. Reminders that a canceling your subscription is a click away. A visible returns policy at checkout? If not... you’re asking me to trust you 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 Want better conversion? Fix the journey before the final step That’s where the real leaks are

🔎 How To Redesign Complex Navigation: How We Restructured Intercom’s IA (https://lnkd.in/ezbHUYyU), a practical case study on how the Intercom team fixed the maze of features, settings, workflows and navigation labels. Neatly put together by Pranava Tandra. 🚫 Customers can’t use features they can’t discover. ✅ Simplifying is about bringing order to complexity. ✅ First, map out the flow of customers and their needs. ✅ Study how people navigate and where they get stuck. ✅ Spot recurring friction points that resonate across tasks. 🚫 Don’t group features based on how they are built. ✅ Group features based on how users think and work. ✅ Bring similar things together (e.g. Help, Knowledge). ✅ Establish dedicated hubs for key parts of the product. ✅ Relocate low-priority features to workflows/settings. 🤔 People don’t use products in predictable ways. 🤔 Users often struggle with cryptic icons and labels. ✅ Show labels in a collapsible nav drawer, not on hover. ✅ Use content testing to track if users understand icons. ✅ Allow users to pin/unpin items in their navigation drawer. One of the helpful ways to prioritize sections in navigation is by layering customer journeys on top of each other to identify most frequent areas of use. The busy “hubs” of user interactions typically require faster and easier access across the product. Instead of using AI or designer’s mental model to reorganize navigation, invite users and run a card sorting session with them. People are usually not very good at naming things, but very good at grouping and organizing them. And once you have a new navigation, test and refine it with tree testing. As Pranava writes, real people don’t use products in perfectly predictable ways. They come in with an infinite variety of needs, assumptions, and goals. Our job is to address friction points for their realities — by reducing confusion and maximizing clarity. Good IA work and UX research can do just that. [Useful resources in the comments ↓] #ux #IA

We love to say “walk in the customer’s shoes.” But most organisations are not walking in customer shoes at all. They are walking in their own shoes. On a slightly different floor. So here’s what actually walking in customer shoes looks like in practice: 1. Get out of the building: ▪️Sit with customers. Watch them. Shadow them. Interview them. If you’re never uncomfortable by what you hear, you’re not listening hard enough. 2. Do the journey yourself: ▪️Personally go through the full experience of being your customer. Buy the product. Call the support line. Navigate the website. Fill in the form. Feel every single point of friction your customers feel daily. 3. Use what you sell: ▪️If you wouldn’t use your own product or service, why would anyone else? And if you would but you get a “special version”, that’s a problem. Use the real thing and live with its limitations. I promise, they stop being acceptable very quickly. 4. Put customers in the room: ▪️Not as a focus group you consult once a quarter. As genuine participants in the decisions that affect them. Co-create. Test early. Invite challenge. 5. Build a customer advisory board: ▪️Give them visibility into where you’re heading and let them push back. If the feedback is always positive, you’ve got the wrong people in the room. 6. Walk the frontline: ▪️Work a shift in support. Sit with your sales team. Spend a day in service. Leaders who do this don’t just understand the customer better, they understand their own organisation better. And what they find is rarely comfortable. 7. Hire people who’ve lived the customer experience: ▪️Your leadership table should have people who’ve worked the frontline, who’ve dealt with real customers, who know what friction feels like from the inside. If every decision-maker is three layers removed from the customer, don’t be surprised when your decisions miss the mark. Somewhere right now, a competitor is sitting with your customers, listening to everything they hate about your company.. What else would you add? #cx #customerexperience #customerrelation

You don’t need a new UI. You need a clearer path to action. A startup with over 280K paying users reached out for a full redesign. Their product already looked great but something felt off. Sometimes, the biggest wins come from fixing what’s almost working. Here’s why subtle tweaks often outperform shiny redesigns 👇 The interesting thing is that most UX teams want to “reimagine everything.” We think: • A new layout = better usability • A fancy UI = better conversion • A full redesign = more credibility But most of the time? 👉 Users weren’t stuck because of the visuals. They were stuck because of friction. Don’t redesign the whole thing, redesign the decision path. In the “before” version here: • All the interests are crammed together • There’s no grouping or structure • The call to action appears tappable too soon It looks complete… but feels confusing. Now look at the “after” version: ✅ Categories give the brain a break ✅ A counter gives users feedback ✅ The CTA only activates after a valid selection Same content. Different outcome. This is how you reduce drop-offs without touching the brand. People mostly in this case dropped off not because they were confused, but because they didn’t know how far they had to go (I’m guilty too). Truth is, most real UX work isn’t about how the screen looks. It’s about how the experience feels and flows. Don’t get me wrong, rebrands have their place. But if users are abandoning mid-onboarding, no amount of pixel-perfect UI will save you. Fix the friction first. It’s all psychology: • Structure helps users scan • Feedback helps them feel in control • Small nudges = massive results At the end is about honest UX thinking, product clarity, and small decisions that drive big outcomes. #UXDesign #ProductDesign #OnboardingUX #DesignThinking #UserExperience #FrictionFixes #MobileUX #MinimalChangesBigImpact

"But it's an extra click" Yes, but would you rather... Click one more time, Or, send money to the wrong person? Click one more time, Or involuntarily see sensitive / graphic content? The truth is, friction still gets a bad rep But less clicks doesn’t always mean a better experience Less clicks doesn’t always mean a quicker journey Less clicks doesn’t always mean easier to use Sometimes that extra step, that extra click, that extra loading state, is good Actually, adding friction can be crucial → It can increase trust → It can reduce mistakes → It can keep people safe How? By giving people control  By enabling them to pause and evaluate their actions → Am I sending money to the right person? → Do I really want to delete all of my photos? → Do I actually want to mass email the company? → Do I want to see that graphic / sensitive content? → Did I mean to add 3 of the same things to my basket? → Do I believe that the system actually did what it said? → Did I create an account with the right details, or now will I be called Emilu? I’m not saying to always add extra steps for the sake of it But, we can’t underestimate the value of slowing people down So, what we can we do? → Map the journey (and system interactions). What decisions can people fly through vs where do we need them to slow down? Are there any destructive actions (like deleting) → Ask what could go wrong and think how it could be prevented. What actions can be make reversible? → Understand people's behaviours. What are they doing, intentionally or unintentionally. What behaviour are we trying to amplify or change? Where can we give more control? → Can we add friction to tailor their experience? It could be as simple as: → Adding an "are you sure prompt" → "Check your details" page at the end of the flow We can't define success by how many times we tap Design for the experience, not for the clicks Design for people, always 💛

UX tip that feels like cheating — but isn’t: Give every form field a purpose-based label. Not just a name. Instead of: - Name: - Email: - Phone: Try: - What should we call you? - Where can we reach you with updates? - Want us to text you if there's a delay? Why it works: - Feels more personal - Builds trust - Reduces friction by clarifying why you’re asking - Increases conversions — yes, even subtly. 📌 Users don’t just need clarity — they need context. We often obsess over UI polish — colors, spacing, shadows... But a single line of microcopy can do more for the experience than all the gradients in the world. Great design isn’t louder. It’s clearer. Have you tested purpose-driven labels in your forms or UIs? Would love to know what worked (or flopped) for you 👀👇 #uxdesign #uxtips #microcopy #productdesign #conversionoptimization #formdesign #designthinking #userexperience

Let’s talk about something that often flies under the radar but is absolutely crucial in UX design: 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. When we think of great user experiences, the most memorable ones often feel effortless, like the app knows exactly what you want to do. But that smoothness? It’s not magic—it’s the result of careful, consistent design choices that make the interface intuitive and easy to navigate. 🌟 Consistency ties the entire experience together. Whether it’s typography, color schemes, or the use of icons, keeping things uniform can drastically 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. ⬆ Imagine using an app where the font changes from screen to screen or the buttons suddenly shift colors. Feels jarring, right? That’s exactly what you want to avoid! Every time a user encounters an inconsistency, they pause and rethink. And in the world of UX, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 🛑 Take 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆, for example. From the moment you open the app, you’re greeted by its iconic green theme. That color isn’t just there for branding—it’s used consistently across buttons, backgrounds, and notifications. This seamless use of color gives users a sense of familiarity. No matter where they are in the app, they know how to navigate because it feels natural. 🎼 Then there’s 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺—the app has evolved a lot over the years, but what stays consistent is its navigation. Whether you’re liking a post, scrolling your feed, or diving into Reels, the icons are instantly recognizable. The “heart” for likes, the “home” for the feed—Instagram doesn’t make users relearn the app with every update. This level of consistency builds confidence, allowing users to explore new features without feeling lost. 🖼️✨ 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. When users have to second-guess their next move or wonder why a button looks different, it creates confusion and frustration. Your goal as a designer is to remove those barriers, and consistency is one of the most effective tools to make that happen. 🚀 So, next time you’re designing, don’t just focus on making it look good—ask yourself, “𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?” By maintaining uniformity, you’re not only creating a seamless product but also building trust with your users, one interaction at a time. 💪 #UXDesign #ConsistencyMatters #SpotifyUX #InstagramDesign #DesignTips #UserExperience #DesignConsistency

Your UX might 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 smooth. But the real friction is hiding in plain sight. Not all friction squeaks. Some of it is silent. Subtle. Invisible. And it’s draining your conversion rates while you wonder why ads “aren’t working.” SaaS websites don’t lose leads because of bad design. They lose them because of invisible UX blockers: the kind that confuse, delay, or overwhelm users at exactly the wrong moment. Here’s how to spot them: → Watch Recordings, Not Just Heatmaps → Go Mobile Like a First-Time Visitor → Audit the Journey, Not Just the Pages → Look for Cognitive Overload → Test with Real Humans Smooth UX doesn’t just make your product look good. It makes your sales process frictionless. If your conversions are stuck, don’t just tweak your CTA button. Go deeper. Find the friction and fix the flow. What’s one UX change that made a measurable difference on your site? Share it below. --- Follow Michael Cleary 🏳️🌈 for more tips like this. ♻️ Share with someone debugging UX friction.