Creating Friendly UI/UX for DApps
Blockchain is currently at a state where there is a large divide between people who understand and use blockchain and those that have no clue what it even is. This situation is extremely similar to what the first forms of the internet looked like: computer enthusiasts, early adopters, and investors using a buggy, borderline unusable, platform. This is perfectly normal right now, as blockchain is still developing its identity; however, there is still a lot of work to be done in order to make blockchain DApps a mainstream product.
Moreover, until blockchain becomes a mainstream product, it will be difficult for the technology to make meaningful contributions to real life. One of its largest blockers is the scatterbrained user experience. This is a major hurdle to get over since many internet users are used to logging into everything using websites like Google or Facebook, which provide a very streamlined user experience.
Major Problems in UX
Steep Learning Curve (Even for fluent internet users)
A difficulty for internet users getting used to DApps is the constantly changing environment in blockchain. For example, the blockchain community in 2020 was a very different place than it is now. The community has grown immensely and many new products are being built and released every day.
However, education is still a necessity for users to adopt blockchain DApps into their daily lives. People need an in-depth understanding of how blockchain works and which chain each of their applications run on. Do you want your Solana wallet to transact on ethereum? Tough luck, they are completely different systems. This can be accomplished with the use of wrapped tokens, but this is only possible if the token is popular enough to have a wrapped version.
It wouldn’t be very easy to explain all of this to a fluent internet user, much less your grandparents. Internet users are very used to interacting with any website they come across; jumping into a system where compatibility is scattered feels like a very frustrating downgrade. Additionally, in the current state of technology, even a child is able to use YouTube on an iPad. They don’t understand what the internet is and probably barely understand what YouTube is, but they are still able to use the platform effectively. This should be the goal for UX on DApps.
The bright spot here is that there is a clear progression of education resources becoming easier to understand, and DApps are becoming more intuitive, too. Previously, blockchain was usable for only computer enthusiasts and engineers, but now it has become usable for finance enthusiasts and investors because of companies like Coinbase and Robinhood. Clearly, the general trend is to simplify blockchain and blockchain-adjacent applications, so there will be a time when users can use a DApp without knowing what blockchain is.
Bad Wallet Integration
Right now, in order to interact with most DApps, users need to install a wallet extension like Metamask or set up a specific online wallet. So if a user uses two DApps that are each compatible with a different wallet, their general user experience will suffer. This brings up the issue of how the APIs integrating different wallets and DApps are not standardized. If the APIs were to be standardized it would be possible for a user to use any wallet on any DApp they would like to use.
This issue is being partially solved by WalletConnect. WalletConnect built a protocol that enables compatible wallets and DApps to interface with one another. DApp makers only need to make their applications compatible with WalletConnect’s API in order to be compatible with a multitude of wallets. This way, users can choose whatever wallet they want and will be able to use most DApps. This solution can be expanded to make it more obvious to users that they have the power to choose their wallet.
Another major issue is the difficulty of setting up cross-compatibility between devices. Setting up a wallet to work on multiple devices is a lengthy process that involves inputting seed phrases or private keys. This feels foreign to someone who’s used to logging into their Google account on a new device and being able to immediately start working.
This issue is being partially addressed by utilizing QR codes and hyperlinks to log in with ease. However, it still requires that you have access to one of your other wallet instances to set it up; if you didn’t have your phone or laptop and needed to access your wallet you would need to have your private key or seed phrase.
Confusing Security
This section is specifically critiquing non-custodial wallets. Private keys or 12-word seed phrases create barriers and security risks for users. First off, the average internet user uses the same password for many accounts, so the likelihood of them memorizing a 12-word phrase is nearly impossible. Inevitably, users will store the 12-word phrases in unsafe locations and a hacker will steal it and take over the wallet. Moreover, there is no way to recover your private keys, so if you lose or forget them, then you cannot access your wallet anymore.
This is where companies like Dapper and Magic come in. These companies created non-custodial wallets that are much more user-friendly while still providing non-custodial security advantages. Dapper utilizes smart contract wallets to create a method for recovering passwords and prevent wallets from being taken over by hackers. Dapper and Magic are addressing genuine and extremely valuable issues: Dapper raised a series C of $305 MM and Magic raised a series A of $27 MM.
Closing Thoughts
In general, a lot of the major downfalls of user experience in DApps have been identified by startups and teams. The bulk of the work to be done is finding an optimal solution for the problems. This can be seen by companies like WalletConnect, Dapper, and Magic. Investors and enthusiasts should be excited to see the user-friendly products that are created in the coming years.
