For years, one of the clearest goals in UX has been to remove friction. Fewer steps, faster decisions, less hesitation between what someone wants to do and the outcome they are trying to reach.
AI is beginning to complicate that idea.
Interfaces can now generate content, make recommendations, automate workflows, and move consequential actions forward almost instantly. But the fact that a system can act quickly does not mean the person using it has had enough time to understand what was produced, what changed, or what they are actually approving.
That is the focus of Goran Paun’s latest article for Inc. Leadership Forum, “Why Good Interfaces Should Know When to Slow Down.”
“For 20 years, good UX has taught us to respect people’s time. AI asks us to extend that principle and respect their judgment as well.” — Goran Paun
The piece looks at a different side of friction in experience design: the moments where a pause can actually be useful. Not the unnecessary friction we have spent years removing, but deliberate moments that help people review, reconsider, and bring judgment back into the interaction.
As AI takes on more of the work that once created natural time for reflection, the design challenge is changing with it. A formatting adjustment and an approved payment should not necessarily move at the same pace. Neither should drafting an email and publishing it, or suggesting an account change and executing one.
The larger question for designers and product teams is becoming less about how quickly an interface can move and more about where speed is appropriate, where consequence calls for greater attention, and how we design that distinction without simply adding more clicks.
Good UX has always been about respecting people’s time. In an AI-assisted environment, it may increasingly need to respect their judgment too.
Read the full article in Inc. Leadership Forum:
Why Good Interfaces Should Know When to Slow Down