He lays blame squarely on the shoulders of the programmers and software engineers. Cooper argues that the software industry is the only major business in the world where the builders of the product, not the owners and managers of the industry, are in control. As a result, the products reflect the interests, preferences, and personalities of the programmers better than they meet the needs, capabilities, and desires of the consumer. Cognitive friction occurs when the object of our attention operates according to complex rules of behavior that change, even as we learn them.
Physical objects are low in cognitive friction.
Their behavior is usually predictable and discernable from their appearance. We may never play the violin like a virtuoso, but we understand how the instrument works. Electronic devices are high in cognitive friction. The same button on your microwave oven may set the time, or it may set the intensity. VCR's, with their non-intuitive controls, continue to stymie countless intelligent humans.