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Friction vs. Features
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Posted by steveylang
Mar 22, 2023 at 10:56 PM
Oops, I meant to say friction is the amount of time and effort spent on the app itself INSTEAD of actually directly working with your content.
steveylang wrote:
For me, friction is the amount of time and effort spent on the app
>itself actually working with your content.
>
>So that includes the interface, how easy the interface is (for me) to
>use and remember, and response time of the app. Having too many
>different info apps also increases friction, as I have to remember where
>I stored or wrote something, and remember too many commands or
>interfaces for various apps. Too many features can bog down an app and
>increase friction, too few features and I don’t want to bother adding
>the app to my computer or phone.
>
>So it’s the sum total of a bunch of somewhat objective and completely
>subjective factors, which ultimately cause me to buy/commit to an app or
>decide it’s not for me.
>
>I switched to Obsidian for almost all of my PKM/outlining about a year
>ago and have never looked back, for me it’s a jack of all trades, and
>also a master of many.
>
>Stephen Zeoli wrote:
>
>>But what exactly is friction? I guess it is anything that impedes the
>>smooth collection or writing of notes. Having to select a folder, or
>>decide on a tag, or lift fingers from the keyboard to format text or
>>anything like that. But it might be more than that. It might be your
>>relationship to the interface. Is it uninspiring? Or confusing? Do you
>>have to stop and think about what to do next, once you’ve made your
>>note?
>>
>>I am thinking that Mem might be an example of a relatively frictionless
>>app, and yet, I find it uninspiring. That’s probably just me.
>>
>>Anyway, I am interested in other recommendations for low-friction
>>note-management apps.
>>
>>Steve
Posted by nirans@gmail.com
Mar 23, 2023 at 12:00 AM
steveylang wrote:
For me, friction is the amount of time and effort spent on the app
>itself actually working with your content.
This is an excellent succinct reply. It accounts for how long it takes to do something in an app and also the mental effort it takes to replicated the action.
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Mar 24, 2023 at 02:44 PM
Here is how the developer of Reflect describes a frictionless note-taking experience:
“Your notes should flow from you to the page with the least amount of friction possible.
“Writing is not the outcome of thinking, it’s the place where thinking takes place. Only once your thoughts are out of your head can you begin to make sense of them. Any kind of friction disrupts this process.
“This principle has many knock-on effects. Not only does whatever tool you’re using to take notes need to be as fast as possible, but it must never force you to make decisions when entering notes.
“For example, having to make decisions like “where in this hierarchy do I put this note?”, or “is this tool secure enough that I can write down this extremely sensitive thing?” cripples frictionless note-taking. Concepts like folders and files often force a structure on our notes that works against our ability to get our thoughts out.”
I think this is true as far as it goes, but I also think what is friction for one person, might be organizational thinking to another. For example, I can’t use Notion because it requires so much set up and preparation, but for others the very process of creating their Notion setup helps to clarify their thinking.
And for what it is worth, I am finding the process of keeping my daily notes in Reflect to be as frictionless an experience as I’ve encountered.
Steve
Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Mar 24, 2023 at 03:12 PM
I kept hearing myself saying “yes, yes, and yes” while reading the quoted description below, and feeling hopeful after your own testimonial.
But of course it turns out to be a Mac-ecosystem only product :( Bummer.
I am not surprised; that ecosystem is clearly well-targeted to people in creative professions. Most people I know that have Macs and the like say that they “don’t get in the way”, which is a good part of what I would say ‘frictionless’ stands for.
I think it is reasonable that such an ecosystem attracts developers that think in the same direction.
Is anyone aware of programmes similar to Reflect for Windows and/or Linux?
Stephen Zeoli wrote:
>Here is how the developer of Reflect describes a frictionless note-taking experience:
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Mar 24, 2023 at 03:45 PM
Alexander,
I use Reflect’s browser version on my Windows machine at work and it is fine. And while they focus on the Mac-verse, they actually don’t support the Apple Calendar, but they do work with Google Calendar and Contacts. The iOS version is still in beta and I haven’t used it yet. I would expect Reflect to work on an Android app, but they are a small operation (I think four people), so it might be a while. Anyway, I guess I’m saying don’t give up just yet!
Steve
Alexander Deliyannis wrote:
I kept hearing myself saying “yes, yes, and yes” while reading the
>quoted description below, and feeling hopeful after your own
>testimonial.
>
>But of course it turns out to be a Mac-ecosystem only product :( Bummer.
>
>I am not surprised; that ecosystem is clearly well-targeted to people in
>creative professions. Most people I know that have Macs and the like say
>that they “don’t get in the way”, which is a good part of what I would
>say ‘frictionless’ stands for.
>
>I think it is reasonable that such an ecosystem attracts developers that
>think in the same direction.
>
>Is anyone aware of programmes similar to Reflect for Windows and/or
>Linux?
>
>
>
>Stephen Zeoli wrote:
>>Here is how the developer of Reflect describes a frictionless
>note-taking experience:
>