Overly seamless UX erodes user agency by removing opportunities for intentional action, forethought, self-regulation, and self-reflection. Human agency is the capacity to act intentionally rather than being passively driven by external forces. Agency operates through four core functions: intentionality, forethought, self-regulation, and self-reflection. Intentional friction can restore agency by slowing users down, prompting choices, and creating space for reflection and goal-setting. The Rubin vase exemplifies how perceptual ambiguity forces slower, deliberate interpretation. Designers should acknowledge agency loss caused by frictionless interfaces and purposefully introduce human-agency-focused design patterns to preserve user autonomy and meaningful decision-making.
Human agency generally refers to a person's capacity to act intentionally, rather than being passively driven by external forces. According to social cognitive theory, agency operates through four core functions: Intentionality - forming plans and acting on them; Forethought - setting goals and anticipating outcomes; Self-regulation - reacting to and regulating the self based on results; Self-reflection - evaluating effectiveness and alignment with personal values.
I'm an interaction designer with a special interest in using intentional friction as an antidote to lost human agency in digital products. I wrote my Master's thesis on design friction and I'm currently building on this work as an independent researcher. Human agency generally refers to a person's capacity to act intentionally, rather than being passively driven by external forces.
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