Last week I had a really interesting conversation with Dave Birss, a friend from his Ogilvy days, my absolute hero AI teacher and a person with a very brilliant mind. I love talking to him, I always learn something. This time he told me about a book he wrote a few years ago called Friction and how we need more in our lives. I of course ordered it immediately and have been reading it. It struck that many of our design decisions in Duck Score are based on tiny pauses which we did to allow awareness, but then I began really thinking about it. Here are some thoughts…
In the tech world, ‘frictionless’ has long been the gold standard for user experience. However, Dave’s book challenges this notion, arguing that some friction can actually enhance user engagement and create greater value. At Duck Score, we’ve found this principle particularly relevant in designing our mental health app.
For instance, when users input their daily ‘duck score’, we don’t provide easy sliders or pre-set options. Instead, we present a clean interface with two boxes separated by a decimal point. This intentional friction point encourages users to pause and reflect on their current state of mind.
Similarly, we’ve incorporated a brief waiting period while our AI generates personalised insights. This moment of anticipation can trigger the release of dopamine, enhancing the user’s engagement with the forthcoming information.
Perhaps our most charming use of ‘good friction’ is our ‘floating feathers’ feature. Users can send supportive notes to others in their ‘nest’, and these notes float across the screen before opening. This brief delay builds anticipation and, we believe, enhances the emotional impact of the supportive message.
As Dave says in his book, ‘Friction isn’t something to be avoided. It can generate adrenaline, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins to drive increased engagement, meaning, belonging, rapport, assurance, competence, and exclusivity.’ Our design choices aim to leverage these neurochemical responses to deepen your engagement and promote mental health awareness.
In the words of Adam Grant, ‘If you think eliminating effort is the key to good design, get ready to think again.’ At Duck Score, we’re rethinking app design for mental health, embracing ‘good friction’ to create more meaningful, impactful user experiences.
By intentionally incorporating these moments of pause, reflection, and anticipation we’re crafting an experience that encourages mindfulness, deepens emotional connections, and ultimately supports our users’ mental well-being.
In a world that often prioritises speed and convenience above all else, we believe there’s value in occasionally asking our users to slow down, to think, to feel. After all, isn’t that what mental health is all about?
iOS version https://lnkd.in/eVGrhyra
Android version https://lnkd.in/eeuxYVjr
Duck Score 