The example given is clearly a terrible customer experience. It can be hard to imagine a case where you would want to make things this difficult for your customers.
Although there are definitely many companies out there intentionally adding sludge to their processes in a grab for higher profits, the majority of sludge is unintentional.
“Sludge is insidious because it’s difficult to see,” Soman argues. “It’s a bit like weeds in your garden. You don’t plant them there, but without continuous monitoring and maintenance, they build up.”
Sludge commonly affects marginalized and poorer people disproportionally. Many of the steps we ask people to take assume that they’re in a position to do so, but if you’re limited in time, resources, and opportunities, these steps can become huge cognitive barriers.
“As practitioners, it’s difficult for us to empathize with the context as well as the cognitive and emotional baggage that our end users experience,” Soman explains. Therefore, we must take a systematic approach to continuously prevent and measure sludge. Without clearing out these pipelines, we create the illusion of reach without actually reaching everyone.”