The Hexaware Friction Report

Digital & Software Solutions

Last Updated: February 5, 2025

Enhance your digital experience and drive revenue growth

As organizations strive to meet the evolving needs of their customers, significant investments are being made in the development of digital products and solutions. Regardless of the amount of money spent, however, the key to crafting an outstanding digital experience lies in a deep understanding of your customer. Among other things, this involves identifying existing pain points and frustrations within current offerings and discerning the enhancements or features that will guarantee future satisfaction.

For an efficient and strategic approach to this process, Hexaware has developed a proprietary tool we call the Friction Report. This report serves as a comprehensive review, outlining areas ripe for improvement and expansion within your digital offering.

What is a digital Friction Report?

Hexaware’s Friction Report employs advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and data science to create an output that is unique and tailored to a specific app or website. Our team utilizes AI algorithms to analyze thousands of interaction data and patterns to identify areas of difficulty within a digital product or solution.

Using data driven insights, we’re able to quantify and prioritize the severity of these friction points based on user sentiment and engagement metrics. Machine learning is employed to uncover and reveal underlying factors contributing to friction, from design flaws to technical glitches. Our team is also able to segment their findings based on behavior, enabling personalized recommendations tailored to specific customer bases.

Before we finalize a report, all results are benchmarked against competitor and industry trends to help identify areas for improvement and growth. These reports can be created for a specific company or at an industry level to explore what opportunities exist from a broader perspective.

Interested in a digital friction report? Contact us today to learn more!

Customer insights about your company & industry

Thinking about developing a mobile app? Have a website but not sure why your engagement is low? Curious about how your industry’s most beloved companies are creating more meaningful customer experiences? Hexaware’s Friction Report helps you answer these questions and more.

50% of your customers won’t download an app with fewer than 4 stars
77% of consumers read at least one review before downloading an app
55% of consumers say that a 1- or 2-star review negatively impacts their view of your brand

Our Friction Report has been used by leading business executives, helping them to make confident decisions about how to identify digital friction and improve or implement digital solutions that create better engagement for their brands, while enhancing the customer experience at the same time.

How are you addressing customer needs?

Now more than ever, the world is relying on digital technology to conduct safer, more convenient transactions. To earn a spot as a consumer’s go-to source, you must provide an easy-to-use experience or face the consequences of digital friction. Let us look at the facts:

76% of consumers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations.
Customers who have a bad experience with a website are 88% less likely to return.
40% of consumers end up visiting a competitor’s website if they have trouble accessing a company’s mobile site.

So, what are you doing to ensure that your company will not lag the digital trends that are here to stay?

Let’s Get Started

About the Author

Krista Park

Sr. Director of Analytics and Digital Blueprint Expert

Krista Park, Sr. Director of Analytics and Digital Blueprint Expert, joined Hexaware in 2019 and specializes in analytics planning, mapping, collection, visualization, and analysis. Krista has worked with clients across industries to create strategic analytic plans and also helps shape future leaders of business through her work as a Digital Marketing Fundamentals instructor at the University of Vermont.

FAQs

Digital friction refers to any obstacles, inconveniences, or frustrations users encounter while interacting with digital products, services, or platforms. This can include a range of issues such as:

Complex user interfaces: Difficult-to-navigate websites or apps with confusing layouts, too many options, or non-intuitive designs.
Slow performance: Websites, apps, or online services that load slowly or experience frequent lag.
Security hurdles: Excessive or cumbersome authentication processes, such as multiple layers of login, CAPTCHA challenges, or frequent password resets.
Inconsistent experiences: Different user experiences across various devices or platforms, making it hard for users to transition between them.
Unnecessary steps: Requiring users to complete unnecessary actions or provide more information than necessary to achieve their goals.
Poorly designed forms: Forms that are too long, poorly structured, or difficult to fill out on mobile devices.
Inadequate customer support: Difficulty finding help, slow response times, or unhelpful support resources.

Reducing digital friction is essential for improving user satisfaction, increasing engagement, and driving conversions, especially in e-commerce, digital services, and online platforms. A great indicator of digital friction is examining user reviews via Hexaware’s digital friction report.

Digital friction can lead to significant negative outcomes for businesses, including decreased user satisfaction, lower conversion rates, and increased churn rates. Frustrated users are more likely to abandon a website or app, share their negative experiences, and seek help from customer support, driving up costs and damaging the brand’s reputation.

Businesses facing high digital friction risk losing customers to competitors with more seamless experiences and may also experience reduced employee productivity due to inefficient internal systems. The focus on resolving friction can divert resources from innovation, further hindering growth and competitive advantage.

There are several ways for you to identify digital friction in your business. They include:

The Hexaware digital friction report: The Hexaware Friction Report analyzes hundreds of user reviews to help you find areas for improvement.
User feedback and surveys: Gather direct feedback through surveys and forms, asking users about their pain points and frustrations.
Analytics tools: Utilize heatmaps, session recordings, and conversion funnel analysis to see where users struggle or drop off during their journey.
A/B testing: Compare different versions of pages or features to identify which ones cause more friction.
User testing: Conduct usability and task-based testing to observe how real users interact with the digital product and where they face difficulties.
Customer support analysis: Review support tickets and chat transcripts to identify common issues that users report.
Performance monitoring: Use tools to analyze load times and track errors, as slow performance and bugs can cause significant friction.
Competitor benchmarking: Compare your digital experience with competitors to identify areas where you might be falling behind.
User journey mapping: Map out the user journey to pinpoint potential pain points at each stage, considering different user personas.
Social media and reviews: Monitor social channels and review platforms for user complaints about usability or functionality.
Internal audits: Conduct expert reviews and heuristic evaluations to systematically identify usability issues.