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Web3 Design Principles
A few days ago, I drove to the mall with my friends. My friends are not into crypto; they know nothing about Blockchain, DeFi, etc. But, as a product designer, I was curious about what non-crypto users think about Web3, so I asked: “Hey, what do you think about all this hype around Web3? Do you believe this is a future?”. Both answered: “Honestly, we don’t know what Web3 means…But we don’t know what are Web1 and Web2 either….”
This moment made me think: So many companies think that they will reach mass adoption if they explain all the benefits that Web3 provides to users. But the reality is that most people use Web2 every day without understanding what it means and don’t have any issues with it. We don’t need to know software engineering to use Instagram. So why are we trying so hard to make our users learn about Web3?
Principle 1: Avoid Web3 jargon
The only reason users use the product is if it solves their problems. They don’t care if it’s Web2, Web3, or Web37. Instead of pushing users to learn new crypto words and how Web3 differs from Web2, show them how your product solves their problems so they can reach an “aha moment” faster.
The aha moment is a moment of sudden insight or discovery. In software, it’s the pivotal moment when a new user first realizes the value of your product and why they need it.
Principle 2: Familiarity
As Jacob’s law of UX design states, “The majority of user time is spent on other websites. This indicates that visitors desire your website to operate similarly to every other website they are already familiar with.”
Web3 application should be similar to Web2 in terms of user experience. Following this, you make it easier for people still learning about topics like cryptocurrency wallets, blockchain technology, etc., to utilize them.
Principle 3: Active Guidance
- Consider where your personas are most likely to turn for assistance while anticipating the need for additional assistance and working to reduce it.
- Avoid adding components that will clutter an interface or mislead users. Every component has a function.
- Utilize standard design patterns to minimize user learning requirements.
Principle 4: Consistency
Establishing uniformity across products and the customer’s experience is essential for building trust.
- Keep your color choices and associations uniform and similar by maintaining consistency.
- Keep grid-based designs with proportional and meaningful negative space.
- Maintain the same UX across all your products.
Principle 5: Data Transparency
Allowing users to make assumptions and assume that “all” data visible is saved in the Blockchain is not user-friendly. Instead, the design should communicate enough at just a glance.
- Make it clear which information originates from the Blockchain and which does not.
- Make the contract’s address clear.
- Connect all Blockchain information to unbiased Blockchain explorers.
- Clarify actions that involve money or value.
- Clarify actions that are irreversible.
- Clarify actions that could potentially lead to user identification.
Principle 6: Feedback
Through the design of constant feedback, you need to assist users in understanding what is happening to lower anxiety.
The user should always know what is happening, what just happened, and what will happen next, as time is a significant element in Blockchain.
Principle 7: Trust
Blockchain is “new” to almost everyone, with varying degrees of knowledge and assurance. Users must believe that your product is stable, dependable, and trustworthy.
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