How to spot the hidden friction in your customer journeys

Most customer journeys don’t fall apart because the product is wrong. They fall apart because the experience is harder than it needs to be. A confusing form field here, a vague instruction there, a moment of doubt that no one notices — friction creeps in quietly, and before you know it, your customer is hesitating, abandoning, or simply feeling less delighted than they should.

The challenge is that friction is often invisible from the inside. When you work in a business every day, you know the processes, the terminology, the shortcuts. You know what a “Comfort Plus” caravan means. You know where the check‑in instructions live. You know which add‑ons are optional and which are essential.

Your customers don’t.

To show you what friction really looks like, let’s walk through a fictional scenario. Meet Margaret — a 70‑year‑old retiree planning a caravan holiday. Her journey is simple, relatable, and full of tiny moments that reveal how easily friction can derail an experience.

Meet Margaret: A fictional customer with a very common journey

Margaret lives alone in Kent, uses her tablet every day, and loves a peaceful break by the coast. She’s confident online but doesn’t enjoy complicated websites or jargon. She wants clarity, reassurance, and a sense that she’s making the right choice.

Her journey to book a caravan holiday takes her through five stages and each one contains opportunities for friction to creep in.

Stage 1: Inspiration & research

Margaret starts with a simple Google search: “caravan holidays near me”. She clicks through a few websites, browses some photos, and tries to understand the different caravan types.

This is where the first friction appears.

Some websites are cluttered. Others use tiny text. Pop‑ups appear before she’s even scrolled. And the caravan categories (Silver, Gold, Comfort Plus, Premium) — all sound appealing, but none explain what actually makes them different.

This is early‑stage friction.
It’s the kind that overwhelms before the customer has even entered your funnel. And it’s incredibly common.

Stage 2: Comparing caravan parks

Margaret now has three parks in mind. She reads reviews, watches a couple of YouTube walkthroughs, and tries to compare prices.

But the reviews contradict each other. The pricing tables don’t match what she saw on the homepage. And when she calls customer service to clarify, she waits on hold for 18 minutes.

This is decision fatigue — a powerful form of friction.
When customers feel unsure, they slow down. When they slow down, they hesitate. And hesitation is the enemy of conversion.

Stage 3: Booking the holiday

Margaret finally chooses a park and begins the booking process. This is the moment of commitment and the moment where friction hits hardest.

The price increases halfway through the form. Optional extras appear in a long list with no explanation. The payment page feels cluttered. She worries she’ll press the wrong button and lose everything she’s entered.

This is trust‑eroding friction.
It’s the kind that makes customers abandon baskets, call for help, or decide to “think about it” and never return.

Stage 4: Preparing for the trip

A week before her holiday, Margaret receives a pre‑arrival email. It’s friendly, but vague. It doesn’t say whether towels are included. It links to an app she doesn’t want to download. And there’s no printable version of the key information.

This is confidence‑draining friction.
Post‑purchase uncertainty increases support calls and reduces satisfaction before the customer even arrives.

Stage 5: Arrival & check‑in

Margaret arrives at the park feeling excited, but the signage is small, the queue is long, and she’s not sure where to park. When she reaches her caravan, it looks slightly different from the photos. The heating instructions are confusing.

She settles in eventually, but the magic has faded.

This is memory‑shaping friction.
The final moments of a journey colour the entire experience. Even small disappointments linger.

The three types of friction to look for

Margaret’s journey highlights three forms of friction that appear in almost every customer experience:

1. Frustration

When something is harder than it should be.
Example: cluttered websites, unclear caravan categories.

2. Confusion

When the customer doesn’t understand what to do next.
Example: vague pre‑arrival instructions.

3. Disappointment

When expectations don’t match reality.
Example: the caravan not matching the photos.

Once you know these three types, you start seeing them everywhere.

How to spot friction in your own customer journey

Here are practical ways to uncover friction. The kind your team may no longer notice:

Walk the journey as if you were Margaret

Slow down. Notice every micro‑decision. Ask yourself where doubt might creep in.

Look for emotional spikes

Moments of worry, annoyance or hesitation are friction signals.

Check for clarity, simplicity and reassurance

If something needs explaining, it probably needs simplifying.

Use the “Would my mum/dad/gran understand this?” test

A surprisingly effective empathy shortcut.

Review the journey on different devices

Especially tablets, which older customers often rely on.

Listen to customer service calls

They reveal friction faster than any dashboard.

Final thought: small fixes create big shifts

Friction isn’t always dramatic. Often, it’s a series of tiny moments that add up to a feeling — a feeling that something was harder than it needed to be.

But the good news is that small fixes can transform the entire experience. One clearer instruction. One simplified form. One reassuring message at the right moment.

If you can remove just one moment of friction, you can make your customer’s journey smoother, kinder and far more memorable.