PARUL’ S DESIGN MUSINGS FOR WEB3 BEGINNERS
DEPTH FRAMEWORK — Early framework to improve UX in Web3.0
December 2021, I got hired as a Senior User Experience Designer and I started my journey in now a popular term ‘Web3 Design’.
I was amused by the capabilities I saw for designers in this domain. Of course, the challenges were different from Web2 since technology is new. Apart from that I wasn’t finding any different processes until I had to start working with the new ideas, that had entirely no explanation, no references or no competitors on the internet.
I got into a meeting with researchers and there was this conversation happening:
Me: Let’s begin guys! What this Project X is about?
Researcher (Going through the smart contract): Okay so as you can see these lines of codes, this function states……..and here we end the code.
Me(perplexed): ummm….Okay! I still didn’t get what exactly the product is about. Do we have any references?
Researcher: No, we don’t. It is my idea and we are building on it.
I understand my job well. If it’s hard for stakeholders to present requirements well, I have to mould the conversation in a way where I can understand the problem well, and get the main requirements out.
Which brings me to the main problem that we see while we have to start designing in Web3. There is nothing different we do from Web2. But👇 …yes there is a BUT!
What changes is that we need to adjust ourselves to the frequent use of technical jargons in the industry. It’s not just optional to learn them, it is compulsory. And this is where a designers’ analytical skills come into play.
What I talked about is above is how as a designer we have to become to start designing in the world of Web3 & Blockchain. Now, we are not designing for ourselves aren’t we? So, this brings me to the point that when you have begun to design, what all you need to remember & execute in your designs to bring better User Experience. After all, we are designing for the users.
While working on few Web3 products, I was talking about lot of concerns in internal meetings with stakeholders, convincing, arguing, making decisions frequently on like less education, more robotic, too much friction, encourage trust in users etc and that brought me to 5 major improvements that we can do to make Web3 Experience for Early products better.
The improvements have formed into a framework which now I call the DEPTH FRAMEWORK.
Early DEPTH Framework for Web3.0 Design:
This framework points aren’t that different from what we do in general design but it highlights 5 important points we can’t overlook while designing for Web3 products.
- Deep Understanding
- Enable Education
- Plain Language
- Trust
- Reduce Hurdles in flow
BUILD DEEP UNDERSTANDING
This is the first step in the framework & definitely the one that defines how to achieve others with clarity.
Before we start with a problem or pick a problem, it is very important in any kind of design, to understand the problem well. To ask as many WHY’s as possible, be it in the scope or out of the scope of the requirement. Or be it technical or non-technical.
With WEB3.0 problems, it becomes more important since everyone in the field is just starting, making mistakes & learning from them in loop. If someone in the team doesn’t ask as many questions in the start, the probability of the project or design failing might increase a lot.
So as a designer, we should try our best to Build a deep understanding of any problem we get or intend to design for.
ENABLE EDUCATION
Blockchain technology is new & it’s a part of everything that forms the base of every Web3 Product. Prioritise education at every step for every user.
Provide Onboarding/Product Tours to your users
The field is just emerging & it makes sense that we would forget a few good to have UX things while we design an MVP. But onboarding should be considered as one of the important step in any product that we build because it definitely eases a lot of actions that users are supposed to take on our product.
For eg, this product below gives a walkthrough mode for new users who might be doing it for the first time.
Provide Blockchain literacy on-the-go
Providing the information while users are scanning or using the product on-the-go is one of the most efficient ways to improve User sentiments & also avoid unnecessary errors that users would have made otherwise.
Build a Knowledge-pedia
Kudos to companies who already have started doing this & a push to those companies who are doing a new product in web3. It becomes very important to make sure information about how the product works or the technical details of the product are available readily to the users.
USE PLAIN LANGUAGE
Present Information in a way that is easy for the users to understand. Leverage a UX Writer if necessary
Communicate in easy, simple to understand language
This first example’s hero title says ‘A new era for blockchain’. But consider this, that which product in this new Web3 era is ‘not a new era for blockchain’? Also the subtitle is clearly very technical for onboarding users to relate with.
The next two example have a very clear title about what are they offering, to whom they are offering & also a subtitle which is quite easy to digest.
Present information via Value Proposition
Now just simple language & being a little non technical won’t help users get your website’s or product gist clearly. Content matters equally.
That is ask yourself, what I am offering different? What is my value proposition & how I am unique from my competitors?
That might help you decide the best hero title & subtitle for your new product.
DESIGN FOR TRUST
Just because blockchain technology is built to eliminate the reliance on trust doesn’t mean users will trust the machine or network
Be Transparent
Transparency is one of the core principle of UX. When the information is not complete or there is uncertainty about what is going to happen next, how much as a user I am going to lose if I start a transaction, users become frustrated.
To keep user experience friendly, it is important to figure out what is the information that we want users to know. And if suppose, we can’t tell users exactly about some information, we should find a way to explain it better.
Believe me, users notice & appreciate this change which might just let you score 5/5 in their UX scale!
For example: Just think how might you feel, if Swiggy or Zomato hid the breakdown of taxes or delivery fee? That wouldn’t feel right, isn’t it?
Be Consistent in your designs
This point originates from my working experience. This one time, Support team approached us suggesting that users are not able to believe in one of the link that we share to complete their stuck Withdrawal (right image).
The reason was, first, the design looked very different from our main product which is Polygon Wallet Suite. And also the URL being used was different. Which made users to believe the link might be scam.
So it’s very important that to maintain user trust, we make all our products consistent. Users might not be designers, but they can definitely tell the difference in look & feel of a product.
Provide Constant Feedback to your users
Users don’t like uncertainty. So it is very important that at every step users understand what’s going to happen next.
For example: If a user has ordered something, they would be anxious enough to know when the thing is getting delivered & in how many days. If they don’t see this data, they might not trust your website at all.
Another example is, if a user has made some transaction, giving them an idea about how much time it is going to take to complete the transaction or immediate success/failure revert will keep UX better.
REDUCE HURDLES IN THE FLOW
Make the flow seamless or frictionless .Try simplifying the complex flows for the users.
Make it easier for user to achieve goal — seamlessly and with less friction. Simplify the complex actions by making the machine work more than the user
Web3.0 currently is like the early Web2.0. Everything was being designed for the most skilled users, who would put hard skills to get used to something & if someone couldn’t use a phone without a help, was labeled ’dumb’.
DEPTH Framework for Limitations:
- All the principles won’t apply for all web3 projects. Pick the more relevant ones
- Don’t assume your users before you apply this. Identify your audience — if it’s more technical or less technical
As we advance in Web 3.0, the framework will be changed accordingly. But some principles are basic and can be used anytime or for any projects.
While while you follow the next 4 points, remember to design with a tinge of delight. It is build on machine but it’s in the end designed for humans.
Thank you for reading 😊🙏🏻
P.S: My statements and opinions are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer
