Turning Friction Into Forward Motion

Physicists have wrestled with friction for centuries. Leonardo da Vinci sketched its rules in 1493, and two hundred years later Charles-Augustin de Coulomb showed that resistance has less to do with how polished a surface appears and more to do with the pressure holding those surfaces together. Translation: even the tiniest point of contact can create outsized drag if the weight behind it is heavy enough.

That same friction sneaks into business whenever a task feels even a tad harder than customers expect. I was reminded of this a few summers back while waiting at a farmers-market stall. The card reader froze and by the time it rebooted, three shoppers had wandered off. Nothing was wrong with the berries or the price. People simply hit an unexpected snag and left. One brief delay, measurable revenue gone.

After years of reviewing checkout flows and online layouts, I see that pattern everywhere now. A shipping fee that will pop up too late or a menu board that needs a second read. Even a door that sticks a second too long in humid weather can make people think your shop is closed. 

These are all small points of contact, each carrying the full weight of a customer’s expectations. How do you eliminate the friction? I always start by putting myself in the buyer’s shoes, literally. 

Stand near your register during the lunch rush and watch where anyone hesitates. Step through your own website on a phone and try to place an order and then note every moment that makes you pause to think. Better yet, ask a friend unfamiliar with your business to do the same while you observe. Wherever you catch a frown, a double-tap, or a “huh?”, you’ve found friction. Once the sticking point is visible, lighten the load. Shorten a form or oil a hinge, and always always surface the total cost of what you’re selling earlier.

There’s also a side benefit to this. When you train your eye to spot and smooth friction at work, you start doing the same in life, like placing the umbrella by the door before it rains or clearing that hallway box you keep tripping over. Fewer snags, more forward motion, everywhere.

These days I’ve learned that friction itself isn’t the villain, but letting it linger is. And Leonardo couldn’t erase it, but he did prove it plays by predictable rules. In business, the rule is clear: find the sticking point, lighten the load, and motion returns.