If you look at the most habit-forming products, you’ll notice that one of the things these goods and services do best is remove little bits of friction from your life. Meal delivery services reduce the friction of shopping for groceries. Dating apps reduce the friction of making social introductions. Ride-sharing services reduce the friction of getting across town. Text messaging reduces the friction of sending a letter in the mail.
Like a Japanese television manufacturer redesigning their
workspace to reduce wasted motion, successful companies design their
products to automate, eliminate, or simplify as many steps as possible.
They reduce the number of fields on each form. They pare down the
number of clicks required to create an account. They deliver their
products with easy-to-understand directions or ask their customers to
make fewer choices.