Experience Systems Case Study R-72: Long-Horizon Planning Friction

January 29, 2026 Experience Systems Case Study

Reservation Friction Framework

R-72: Long-Horizon Planning Friction

An Experience Systems Case Study

Hybrid work did not eliminate planning—it stretched it.

R-72 friction describes what happens when users reserve rooms or desks far in advance, but real life intervenes. Plans shift, priorities change, and reservations quietly decay while the system continues to treat them as active intent.

This is not misuse.
It is time acting on human intention.

Friction Definition

R-72: Long-Horizon Planning Friction

A long-horizon reservation state where:

  • A user books space days in advance

  • The original intent weakens or changes

  • Reservations are not updated or canceled

  • The system assumes continued validity

The reservation remains.
The intention does not.

Context: Why R-72 Emerges in Hybrid Environments

Hybrid schedules encourage advance planning—but discourage commitment.

Common R-72 scenarios include:

  • Booking desks “just in case”

  • Holding rooms as placeholders

  • Plans changing without system follow-through

  • Users forgetting to cancel unused reservations

From the system’s point of view, space is occupied.
From reality, it often is not.

UX Problem Statement

How might we preserve the benefits of advance planning while preventing stale intent from distorting availability, trust, and utilization data?

R-72 friction is dangerous because it looks like success:

  • High reservation rates

  • Full calendars

  • Strong apparent demand

But underneath, usage does not match intent.

System Risks of Unaddressed R-72 Friction

When long-horizon reservations decay silently:

  • Ghost bookings block real demand

  • Artificial scarcity emerges

  • Users stop trusting availability signals

  • Utilization data becomes inflated and misleading

The system appears “busy” while spaces sit empty.

Design Principle

Intent must decay gracefully over time.

Long-horizon reservations should not be treated as permanent truth.
They are hypotheses—and hypotheses require validation.

UX Response Pattern: Gentle Reconfirmation & Easy Release

R-72 friction cannot be solved with enforcement.
It must be resolved with low-pressure correction.

Intent Reconfirmation

As the reservation approaches:

  • The system surfaces upcoming bookings

  • Intent is gently brought back into awareness

  • Users are prompted to reaffirm or release

This reframes cancellation as a normal, responsible action—not a failure.

Frictionless Cancellation

Cancellation must be:

  • One tap

  • Contextual

  • Guilt-free

If cancellation feels heavy, users avoid it.
If it feels light, data cleans itself.

Visibility Without Policing

Where appropriate, soft visibility:

  • Signals that space is tentatively held

  • Encourages responsible release

  • Avoids naming or shaming

Behavior corrects itself when reality is visible.

Why This Works

Respects Uncertainty

The system accepts that future intent is fragile.

Reduces Artificial Scarcity

Spaces return to circulation naturally.

Protects Data Integrity

Utilization reflects behavior, not forgotten plans.

The system remains optimistic—but not naive.

Outcomes

Designing explicitly for R-72 friction:

  • Reduced ghost reservations

  • Improved same-day availability

  • Increased user trust in booking signals

  • Cleaner data before automation or sensing

The system became more honest over time.

Why R-72 Matters as a Pattern

R-72 friction is often misdiagnosed as:

  • User irresponsibility

  • Over-demand

  • Insufficient space

In reality, it is unmanaged temporal decay.

Time changes intent.
Good systems design for that change.

Framework Placement

R-72 operates alongside:

  • R-0 (Walk-In Friction)

  • R-24 (Forgotten Reservation Friction)

  • R-N (Normal Flow)

Healthy systems do not punish planning.
They adapt when plans expire.

Closing Reflection

Good experience systems understand that intention is not static.
It weakens, shifts, and sometimes disappears.

R-72 friction taught us that advance planning is only valuable if systems remain responsive to change—not frozen in optimism.

Designing for decay is not pessimism.
It is realism.

In hybrid environments, the future is provisional.
Systems should treat it that way.