Improving user trust and usability through redesign of Yuse App.

Introduction

In September 2024, I was approached by a design agency to collaborate directly with the leadership, Product Manager, and Tech Lead on a complete redesign of the Yuse App.

Yuse is a decentralized crypto wallet that allows users to buy, sell, swap, and exchange cryptocurrencies while maintaining full control over their assets. Unlike centralized exchanges like Binance or Coinbase, Yuse operates on a non-custodial model, meaning users hold their private keys and are solely responsible for their funds.

The app had been in the market for some time, but as they prepared for their next investment round, it became clear that the design needed a significant overhaul, both in terms of branding and user experience. While the leadership understood that the current design was falling short, they needed clarity on exactly what was broken and how to fix it.

This case study walks through how we identified critical usability and trust issues, the challenges of designing for both beginner and advanced crypto users, and how we rethought authentication and daily access to make security intuitive rather than intimidating.

Onboarding Interaction

Understanding the Core Issues

Given the tight timeline, we conducted qualitative user testing. We tested the app with six users across two key segments:

1. Beginners: Users interested in crypto but unfamiliar with self-custodial wallets.
2. Mid-level Users: Active crypto investors who buy, sell, and swap frequently.

Each user was interviewed and asked to perform key actions such as:

• Registering and logging in
• Creating a new wallet
• Importing an existing wallet
• Buying and selling crypto
• Swapping tokens

Current State of the App

Key Findings

While the app provided core crypto functionalities, users lacked confidence in using it. The most common issues boiled down to

Trust and Usability.

The app didn’t feel secure: Users hesitated to proceed with certain actions because the interface didn’t reassure them about safety.

Confusing navigation: Users found it difficult to locate important features, leading to frustration.

Lack of clear feedback: The app failed to provide timely confirmations or security warnings, leaving users uncertain about the success of their actions.

Inconsistent design patterns: Disjointed UI elements made the experience feel unpolished and unreliable.

Authentication and daily access was an area that stood out as a major friction point. From initial data we already knew that many users dropped off during signup. This was also validated during the user study. We observed that 4 out 6 participant struggled with seed phrase.

This became our prime focus, where our redesign could have the most immediate impact. Along with the following actionable design objectives:

Ensure a consistent experience: Establish a clear and structured UI to reduce hesitation.

Keep users informed: Provide clear, real-time feedback for every critical action.

Simplify navigation: Make key features more discoverable and intuitive.

Build visual trust: Refine the interface with a modern, secure aesthetic that reassures users.

Adding to the Problem

Unlike traditional apps, Yuse is a decentralized crypto wallet, which fundamentally changes how authentication works.

No Email or Password System:

Traditional login methods like email and passwords are not used in self-custodial wallets. Instead, users authenticate via private keys, seed phrases, or hardware wallets. This approach ensures complete user control over their assets but introduces critical usability concerns:

Expectation Mismatch: Many beginners instinctively look for a “Forgot Password” option, which doesn’t exist in decentralized wallets.

High Stakes: Losing access to a seed phrase means permanently losing access to funds, making recovery far less forgiving than traditional apps.

Balancing Security & Convenience

There’s a natural tension between security and ease of access. The challenge was to design an authentication experience that caters to both types of users while ensuring they understand the security implications of their choices.

With these challenges in mind, we began exploring solutions to improve Onboarding and authentication while maintaining security, flexibility, and ease of use.

Ideation

How Users Access Their Wallet

We started with asking what the authentication options available to users are and when they can be used.

Edge cases where one or a combination of the above authentication methods can be used:

Adaptive Onboarding

Since Yuse serves both beginners and experienced crypto users, onboarding had to be personalized to different levels of familiarity. Instead of forcing all users through the same process, we explored an experience that adapted based on user knowledge:

Identifying User Experience Level
Upon first launch, users would answer a simple question:

1. “I’m new to this.” — Beginner-friendly onboarding.
2. “I’ve used a crypto wallet before” — Fast-track setup.

Beginner Onboarding Path

1. Explaining the Self-Custodial Model: Short, interactive cards introducing private keys, seed phrases, and recovery risks.
2. Guided Wallet Setup: Step-by-step walkthrough for creating and securing a wallet, including seed phrase verification.
3. Quick Access Setup: Option to enable Biometric/PIN for daily access.
4. Final Security Reminders: Warnings about phishing attacks, fake apps, and scams.

Experienced User Path

1. Fast-Track Setup: Option to import an existing wallet via seed phrase.
2. Security Preferences Upfront: Let users choose authentication methods immediately.

By designing authentication and onboarding as adaptive flows, we aimed to make Yuse more accessible for beginners while remaining powerful for experienced users.

Iteration

While ideating our solution, we analyzed Trust Wallet, SafePal, and Exodus and had discussions on initial explorations. This made us challenge our ideas and reconsider whether we were adding unnecessary complexity to Yuse’s onboarding and Authentication.

Competitor Analysis:

Trust Wallet has a straightforward and accessible onboarding paired with convenient biometric/PIN-based authentication, making everyday use effortless.

Exodus offers a polished interface with a guided setup and robust encryption via user passwords, though its daily access approach is more reliant on traditional password security with limited biometrics.

SafePal emphasizes multi-layer security and often integrates hardware-backed features for added protection, offering a secure yet user-friendly onboarding and access process suitable for both mobile and hybrid users.

Our adaptive approach aimed to provide a more flexible, user-centric experience, tailoring onboarding and security based on familiarity.

This analysis, coupled with team feedback:

Let’s keep the design simple that complements the existing backend structure. Any new features and integration can be incorporated in the next phase.

This led us to refine our approach. Our revised solution strikes a balance between simplicity and necessary guidance, addressing the core challenges we defined while being mindful of user diversity and security demands.

We structured the authentication and onboarding experience into three core flows:

1. First-Time Setup (New User)
2. Daily Access (Returning User)
3. Recovery & Emergency Scenarios

Each flow was designed to ensure security while minimizing unnecessary complexity.

A. First-Time Setup (New User)

• Welcome Screen: Choose between “Create a New Wallet” and “Import Existing Wallet.”

• Create New Wallet Screen: Generates and displays the seed phrase with a clear warning. User confirms the recovery phrase by dragging and arranging the words in the correct order.

• Import Wallet Screen: Allows users to input an existing recovery phrase.

• Set up quick access: Users enable touch ID and create a PIN as a fallback for quick access.

B. Daily Access (Returning User)

• Login Screen: Uses biometric authentication as the default with a PIN fallback.
• “Forgot PIN?” link for recovery.
• Alert user for possible lockout and an option to reset the PIN.

• Session Expiry / Reauthentication Screen: Informs users that their session has expired. Displays a note that “Best security settings are applied by default” and that they can change these later in Settings.

C. Recovery & Emergency

• Forgot PIN Screen: Enables users to reset their PIN by entering seed phrase again if they have not set their touch ID.

The redesigned Yuse experience delivered a unified, streamlined flow that addressed key usability and trust issues. By simplifying onboarding and refining authentication processes, we achieved:

• Enhanced User Confidence: Clear feedback and a consistent, secure flow helped users feel more in control of their assets. Early testing indicated a marked reduction in hesitancy during critical actions such as wallet creation and Import.
• Strengthened Brand Perception: A cohesive and modern design improved usability and positioned Yuse as a reliable and forward-thinking player in the competitive crypto wallet market.

Key Learnings & Takeaways

• Simplicity Drives Trust: Our iterative process reaffirmed that reducing friction by eliminating overly complex or redundant steps directly enhances user satisfaction.
• Clarity is Critical: Consistent UI elements and immediate feedback throughout the user journey are vital in guiding users, especially when dealing with high-stakes actions like asset management, and building trust.
• Balance: While exploring adaptive approaches initially provided valuable insights, our refined solution underscored that a unified, straightforward flow can better serve both novice and experienced users without overwhelming them.