@paulg Sometimes friction is a feature, not a bug though. Instagram's early photo filters were technically 'harder' than just posting raw photos, but that constraint created the entire aesthetic culture of the platform.

@paulg And you have to make signup/onboarding even easier than you think you should

@paulg ux ain’t dead for a long time vs ai

@paulg Conversely, if your app is even 10% harder to use than the competition, you’re ngmi.

@paulg What happened to "you have to be 10x better"?

@paulg Sometimes true, but beware of over-simplifying complex workflows. I've seen apps become so "easy" they couldn't handle real user needs.... The goal isn't always easier – it's appropriate complexity for the task. Easy where possible, powerful where necessary.

@paulg Math checks out on my app. Every commit I push I am seeing: 0 Current Users X 2

@paulg Took me a few iterations to realize that explosive growth is exactly this. Not one or two large features but 30-40 micro interactions that most teams get burnt out on doing

@paulg Make it so easy a distracted toddler could use it, that’s product-market fit

@paulg Yet two times zero is still zero 💀

@paulg Interesting rule of thumb. Do you see that uplift mainly from removing friction in onboarding, or from polishing day-to-day workflows?

@paulg A 10% boost in usability often outperforms a 50% boost in functionality.

@paulg moore users law

@paulg Imagine what Microsoft Teams could be

@paulg Is 'cancel the subscription' part of use?

@paulg Do you think this same principle tends to scale beyond 10% —> 2x? I wonder how strong diminishing returns are beyond this point.

@paulg The 45+ year old average Joe user test is the ultimate UX reality check

@paulg the tricky part is knowing which 10% to focus on. I've seen teams optimize the wrong friction points for months

@paulg Never underestimate the human decision-rule of convenience.

@paulg what if i make it 10% harder?

@paulg I made it 100% easier and got 1024x more users thanks to your advice

@paulg It also makes various other parts of the biz more streamlined: product management, engineering, UX/UI, sales etc.

@paulg What do you think about hard paywalls that don't allow users to use the product until they pay? Asking primarily for startups in the B2C SaaS category.

@paulg 100% and make sure you're A/B testing everything! No reason to guess what would improve your app when you could know

@paulg This is, I am sure, why iOS was so successful vs Windows phones. It takes a relentless drive, toward removing every barrier to human computer interaction, to ensure mass adoption. It is also why, I think iOS 26 is a harbinger of Apple's decline into mediocrity.

@paulg I think so too - tho a VC I worked with claimed no user will switch over if it's not 1000% easier at least. Of course we can build a function - the level of pain to switch vs benefits from switching - because in reality it just depends on the case.

@paulg Sadly, when it comes to government services, even if they are really bad, people must use them due to a lack of alternatives.

@paulg not if you have zero Paul.

@paulg How do you make it easier to use? Sign ups is a huge barrier to entry esp for apps in Africa. But I couldn’t find better alternatives

@paulg Ease of use is underrated people don’t leave apps because of missing features, they leave because of friction. Simplicity scales faster than complexity.

@paulg Bluesky don’t seem to have had this memo. Barely any changes for 5 straight months.

@paulg making your app 10% easier isn't just about user growth; it's about reducing friction. Users stick around when they feel understood. Considering the long term impact on retention and loyalty.

@paulg How do you measure easier to use ?

@paulg And with the expectations set forward by AI, everyone is expecting apps and service to be straightforward to use.

@paulg Is this true for physical products as well?

@paulg I've abandoned so many apps I've downloaded just because of stuff like this. If the ease of use isn't there, I'm out This is something I constantly think of as I'm building my very first mobile app right now. It's hard, that I can say 👨🏼‍💻