Blockchain Designer Profile: Caroline Ford
Meet the individuals bringing blockchain tech to life.
With a growing decentralized mesh spread all over the globe, things are moving so fast at ConsenSys — and the blockchain world in general — that’s it’s tough to keep up with all the movement behind the scenes.
To offer a little more insight to the human side of the ConsenSys mission, we’re profiling many of the remarkable individuals who dream up the design end experiential elements of ConsenSys projects…
Meet Caroline Ford, Product Designer.
How did you get involved in blockchain?
Most people I’ve met become interested because of the technology. It’s easy to see why! Blockchain has a crazy, life-changing promise that’s easy to fall in love with.
I have my son to thank for becoming involved in blockchain. Having a kid gave me a totally different attitude towards work. In 2016, I was working at an enterprise cloud company as a product designer. I returned from maternity leave and thought “if life can get a million times bigger and more interesting at home, what else is possible at my job?” I was part of a great UX team, but kept wondering what type of magic was happening elsewhere.
Eventually I took a big leap, quit my stable job, and went full-force into looking for other opportunities. To get laser-focused on my values, I created this list:
What actually matters at work:
- Being surrounded by great people
- Working collaboratively, but having autonomy
- Being challenged every day
I had no idea that this would lead me to the blockchain world. One year later, I still find it fascinating. I love the ConsenSys Design team, and I love the insane possibilities of Ethereum.
What are you working on now?
I work on the Rimble Design System team. Our mission is to make it easier for developers to build dApps with outstanding user experiences. We do this by shipping React components, design guidelines, and content guidelines that support common web3 interaction patterns.
We’re currently working towards v1 of our product, and new things are happening every day. Here’s a sample:
Wallet connection prototype
Goal: Always be testing
The process of connecting to a dApp is a universal pain point. So many things to learn. What’s a wallet? Am I on the right network? Can I access this from my phone? Why are you asking me to deposit funds?
Our team is currently working on a prototype to ease this process. It’s also our first attempt at a repeatable research plan, so wish us luck! Our tentative thinking is:
- Test and iterate with an internal group
- Build and release the components
- Test and iterate with end users (ideally within a dApp that’s using Rimble components)
Transaction components
Goal: Get tools in the hands of developers
My teammates Gustavo and Mike recently attended EthDenver, where they shared the first Rimble app demo. This is a React starter dApp that uses the Rimble UI component library and showcases our latest transaction components.
During our discovery interviews, reflecting the state of a transaction was the #1 challenge for developers. We’re excited to share this and get feedback about how developers are testing it in their dApps.
Team Stuff
Goal: Strong team 👉 Strong organization 👉 Strong ecosystem
ConsenSys is a decentralized organization, so it’s everyone’s responsibility to determine how the team operates. In addition to this, the company is fully remote and distributed across time zones. On the Rimble team, we’re always scheming new ways to work.
Here are a few things that have been great:
- We use Mural for workshops and to align on team values
- We do the things we’d normally do in an office—have sketch sessions, celebrate birthdays, and find ways to hang out and work remotely.
- We recently started using Notion, which has been awesome for staying organized.
What do you enjoy about designing in the blockchain space?
Definitely the people. Everyone is passionate, motivated, kind, and extremely smart. I feel honored to be in the presence of my teammates.
What are some of the challenges you face when designing for users of decentralized apps?
The most exciting thing is also the most challenging: there’s not much data to go on. At my previous job, I learned the importance of being data-driven when approaching a design challenge. Even when we designed a new product or feature, there were still years of related product knowledge to draw from.
In the blockchain world, the users aren’t even defined yet! Everything is much more ambiguous. The only option is to take your best guess, test your assumptions, and learn. Don’t forget that NO ONE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THIS SPACE. As long as you’re advocating for the user and incorporating research into your process, you’ll get the info you need to the right decisions.
What advice do you have for a designer new to blockchain?
If you’re completely new: Start by getting a MetaMask wallet and filling it up with Ether. You’ll learn many of the key steps by going through this process.
If you’re dedicated to learning blockchain: Find a friend and learn together. Ask them a million questions. Challenge each other to learn about the possibilities and limitations of the platform. If your friend is a developer, offer them design skills in exchange for their technical expertise! Blockchain is too big to solve on your own. You’re going to need help, but that’s also the beauty of it.
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author above do not necessarily represent the views of Consensys AG. ConsenSys is a decentralized community with ConsenSys Media being a platform for members to freely express their diverse ideas and perspectives. To learn more about ConsenSys and Ethereum, please visit our website.
