The useful kind of friction
Not everything needs to be effortless. Some things get better when we slow down.
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We tend to notice friction when it gets in the way: the extra click, the awkward form, the task that takes longer than it should. Removing it often makes things better.
A moment to notice
But a pause can be useful. Writing something down by hand, walking without headphones, or reading a paragraph twice creates room to notice what we would otherwise pass over.
The question is whether the effort gives something back.
Choosing deliberately
Good tools make necessary work clear and unnecessary work disappear. They also leave room for attention. The best reading experiences do very little, and do those few things carefully.