This essay first appeared in my weekly newsletter, The Work of Being, where I write once a week about work, learning, and judgment.
The smoothest systems aren’t always the best ones. Sometimes the pause, the confirmation dialog, the friction that makes you slow down—that’s not poor design. That’s the system being honest about what’s actually happening.
I watched someone try to register their device three times before it worked. Each time, the system asked: Are you sure? Is this the right account? Should we send a confirmation code?