Finding the friction
You know that feeling when something’s harder than it should be?
That quiet rage when you have to repeat the same tedious process for the hundredth time? The eye roll when someone says, “sorry, that’s just how it works”?
Pay attention to that feeling. It’s telling you something important.
We’ve become experts at analyzing markets. Competitor analysis, market sizing, customer interviews—we know how to prove that people will buy what already exists.
But sometimes, the biggest opportunities aren’t found in market research reports.
Often times, they’re hiding in plain sight—in that sense of frustration you feel when something is needlessly difficult.
That feeling isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a signal. A signal that there’s a better way waiting to be discovered.
The problem with “proof”
Focusing on “proof” inherently makes us think smaller. We ask, “Would people buy a slightly better version of this?” instead of, “Why are we doing this at all?”
Market research confirms what’s already out there. Breakthroughs happen when you focus on frustrations people have learned to live with. The annoyances they’ve stopped complaining about. The clunky processes they quietly endure.
And that’s where the real magic is. Because while proof keeps you looking backward, friction forces you to look forward.
The power of friction
So, where should you look instead? Friction—the kind you can’t ignore. Because its beauty is in its honesty. Market research can be tricky—people will tell you what they think you want to hear. But you can’t fake frustration.
A workaround is real. Giving up and saying, ‘I guess that’s just how it works’—that’s real too.
And here’s what makes friction special:
It’s universal: Everyone knows what it feels like when something’s harder than it should be. It doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO or an intern, tech-savvy or technophobe—frustration is a shared language.
It’s clear: You don’t need surveys to spot friction. It shows up in the extra steps people take, the workarounds they create, the shortcuts they build. Every hack is a tiny protest against the status quo.
It’s revealing: Over time, people stop noticing friction. They build systems around it and accept it as normal. And in that acceptance lies opportunity—the chance to show them things don’t have to be this way.
Where to look
The best opportunities often hide in plain sight. They’re usually in one of three places:
- The workarounds: Watch for the spreadsheets that shouldn’t exist—the post-it note systems, the “unofficial” solutions people create because the official ones don’t quite work.
- The resignation: Listen for phrases like ‘you get used to it’ or “it’s always been this way.” When people stop questioning something difficult, you’ve found fertile ground.
- The time sinks: Notice where simple tasks take too many steps, where people switch between too many tools, and where time disappears into “that’s just part of the process.”
A product development strategy driven by friction
This product development strategy doesn’t mean abandoning market research—it means using it differently. Use it to uncover struggles, not just solutions. Try changing how you frame your questions:
Instead of “Would you buy this?”
Ask, “Can you show me how you do this now?”
Instead of “What features do you want?”
Ask, “What part of your day never seems to get easier?”
The future of problem-solving
Some of the best solutions don’t come from asking people what they want. They come from watching what they struggle with.
From questioning accepted processes and believing things can be simpler.
The next big breakthrough probably won’t start with market research. It’ll start with a product development strategy focused on noticing friction that others have learned to ignore. Someone who sees struggle not as a fact of life, but as an opportunity to make things better. A lot of incredible businesses have started with someone questioning or challenging the status quo.
Solve the struggle, and the market will come to you.