Web3 may be the future, but Web3 creators must design with the present in mind and strive for a user experience that blends the familiar with the new and exciting. While industry enthusiasts are knowledgeable about the technology, terms and potential of Web3 and crypto, newcomers — even those with high interest in the industry — likely are not.
When exploring a Web3 project, if novice users encounter a user interface that’s easy, intuitive and fun to use, they’re more likely to become enthusiasts both for the project and the industry. Here, 12 members of Cointelegraph Innovation Circle discuss some improvements to Web3 UIs that can improve the user experience.
Keep it simple
Education is still a major problem. Web3 projects assume that everyone is super-savvy with wallets, other Web3 terminology and interactions. The projects that onboard hundreds of millions of users in the next few years will be using the KISS approach — keep it simple, stupid — and will have a gamified, but heavily educational, user interface. – Brian D. Evans, ReBlock Ventures
Offer scope for self-expression
Give people the ability to build and express their identity. Identity, ownership and self-expression are at the heart of Web3, from the explosion of picture-for-profile nonfungible tokens to people owning their name by securing their NFT domain. For instance, we at Unstoppable recently introduced reverse resolution so decentralized applications, metaverses, games and more can easily show a user’s chosen name instead of an impersonal wallet address. – Sandy Carter, Unstoppable Domains
Add payment integrations
Payment integrations are one simple improvement that Web3 projects can make to greatly improve their user experience. Integrating popular payment providers like PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay will make it easier for crypto newcomers to access Web3 technology in a way that feels safe, secure and familiar. – Molly Glennon, Ditto
Include clear messaging about chain transactions
One factor Web3 projects should focus on to improve the user experience is clear and direct messaging around any chain transactions. It’s imperative users know exactly what actions they are taking when interacting with a platform or protocol. – Gabe Frank, Arcade
Illustrate the value of Web3 for users
Design for the people, not machines. Not many people are acquainted with what Web3 is all about. Most UIs currently aim at telling what Web3 is all about through mechanical creatives. Instead, they should focus on people and illustrate the value Web3 will deliver to its users. Simplified, contextual, value-driven and people-oriented education is what Web3 project UIs should strive for and provide. – Vinita Rathi, Systango
Design with the target audience in mind
Web3 project creators must understand the target audience. Knowing their interests and how they engage with the Web3 space allows for utility and engagement, which strengthens the project and consumer journey. At Capital Block, we know the Web3 world isn’t one-size-fits-all; sports organizations should develop in-house platforms, as we know that sports fans don’t like moving to third-party sites to engage with Web3 products. – Tim Mangnall, Capital Block
Keep the infrastructure updated
Web3 infrastructure is decentralized and distributed among multiple entities, so it is usually challenging to integrate those systems. Web3 projects can improve their UI and UX by keeping up with the latest updates from infrastructure providers, as well as best practices, to ensure they move with the best approach to address problems in this fast-paced industry. Also, poll users and ask for valuable feedback. – Carmelia Ray, Kindly
Ensure the infrastructure is scalable
UIs actually have a huge role to play in legitimizing crypto and driving adoption. One UI improvement that immediately comes to mind is building more scalable infrastructure to process massive request volumes from millions of users in a safe and secure way. Additionally, add session wallets to avoid too many manual operations from users. – Yaoqi Jia, AltLayer
Emulate what Web2 gets right
Conversion rates of Web3 projects across the board have been poor. The user experience can significantly be improved by emulating what Web2 gets right: Simple things like a chatbot and guided onboarding are very common in Web2 projects. Implementing these in Web3 projects can help increase the sign-up rates. – Dev Sharma, Blockwiz Solutions Limited
Add some fun elements to websites
Make it a fun experience to navigate through your website. This could be with small avatars or objects coming out of nowhere when scrolling through the pages. These small details will help people understand that you have a team who cares about the users. – Tim Haldorsson, Lunar Strategy
Educate about the consequences of actions
In Web3, people have much higher responsibility for their actions. So Web3 companies need to educate users that their actions have consequences, and this information needs to be shown in the UI. As the business models continue to change in Web3, further new UI concepts will emerge. – Erki Koldits, OÜ PopSpot
Build a simplified UI with an ‘Advanced’ button
As in any environment, the user experience comes first. A bad user experience will lose users. I personally think that many Web3 projects complicate things, while most users are just looking for something they recognize and something intuitive. I’d rather see more simplified UIs with an “Advanced” button than a dashboard with full functionality, which can be very confusing. – Sami Rusani, Rusani Ventures
This article was published through Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, a vetted organization of senior executives and experts in the blockchain technology industry who are building the future through the power of connections, collaboration and thought leadership. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Cointelegraph.
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