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W3GM is a Publication for founders, Growth marketers and community builders looking to scale marketing in Web3.

Growth Strategy on how dApps can Sustain User Growth and Retention Rates Using friendly UI/UX.

9 min readJul 19, 2023

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Growth Strategy on how dApps can Sustain User Growth and Retention Rates Using friendly UI/UX.

As you must have already known, A dApp, or decentralized application, is a type of software application that operates on a decentralized network or blockchain platform.

Instead of being controlled by a central server. Dapps are typically built using smart contracts.

And Smart Contracts are self-executing computer programs that run on a blockchain network.

This decentralised structure of application has completely changed the way Decentralised Finance is approached and utilised.

dApps ultimately makes it easy for users to interact with Defi and Crypto solutions.

This has created a demand for Dapps with seamless User Experience.

That’s because with a dApps’ utility, combined with a great UX — they can keep retention and gain high daily unique Active Wallets (dUAW).

dUAW is a metric used to measure the number of unique wallet addresses that have performed at least one transaction on a Dapp during 24 hours.

With this Metric, we can understand the network activity and user engagement on any dApp. Why is this essential?

When a dApp (i.e. a Bridge built on ETH or BSC) is built, you want users to use the solution, to get the result they look out for.

For that to happen, you need people to Adopt this solution in other to scale faster.

But adoption doesn’t just happen overnight. And asides from the utility of any Dapp, one important metric that drives the Adoption rate is the UX of the dApp.

Based on Industry research by Dapp Radar; The dApp industry experienced a 50% increase in the number of dUAWs in 2022, rising from 1.58 million dUAWs in 2021 to 2.37 million last year on average.

And even with this exciting feat, there’s no denying fact that the state of the Dapp user experience is completely unacceptable — as it’s difficult for newbies to understand and safely interact with most times.

And Developers, Growth teams, UI/UX designers etc who can build user-friendly dApps, with smooth onboarding interfaces, less technical terms, and well-optimised pages stand a chance to scale faster.

The lack of a User-Friendly Interface can limit the usability and Adoption of the Dapp; Both for Existing crypto Users and Newbies.

Hence the need for good UX in Dapps built on different chains.

Key UX Issues to Consider When Developing a Dapp on

Crypto Newbies and also Active Crypto Users often find themselves in situations where it’s difficult to discern what’s happening.

The lack of proper communication and the absence of smooth basic functions can lead to costly errors and trust is lost when that happens.

When building dApps, a simple rule of thumb is to make it easy for anyone to participate in the decentralized economy.

While this should be the core focus. There is also a need to consider some key Issues that can make the dApps you build more user-friendly, which improves the dUAW user adoption rate.

The first of them is the CTA Button.

Connect Wallet Button

Do you know what’s important for any dApp? It’s the Connect Wallet button.

But let’s be real, with all the news about scams and hacks in the crypto world, it’s no wonder people are feeling a little on edge.

They don’t want to risk accidentally connecting to the wrong dApp and losing all their hard-earned assets. Here’s the thing though:

Most dApps don’t do anything to help ease that fear and build trust with their users.

That’s where you come in with the Dapp you are intending to build. We’re all about taking the low-hanging fruit and making things better.

So, instead of just letting people worry and stress, let’s give them some information that can help them feel safer about connecting. Information like:

  • Permissions the dApp will be requesting,
  • A link to the contract audit, and
  • Maybe even some extra social proof.
Growth Strategy on how dApps can Sustain User Growth and Retention Rates Using friendly UI/UX.

There could be other things you might want to flex here but you get the idea. Other things:

  • Number of people connected right now
  • Total value locked (TVL)
  • View on etherscan
  • We will automatically disconnect you after 24hrs of inactivity

When you add this context to the UX of the Connect Wallet Button, people feel more secure using your dApp. They’re going to be more likely to stick around and use it even more.

Support All Wallet Modal

The provision of wallet support is a crucial yet often overlooked feature of dApps.

While Metamask reigns as the most prevalent wallet for ERC20 tokens and other tokens residing on EVM-compatible chains, there are numerous other options available.

With the list continually expanding. But why is this essential?

When a user clicks the Connect Wallet button, a pop-up modal should present all available wallets to them, rather than the standard offering of Metamask, WalletConnect, and Coinbase as seen above.

For optimal usability, it is recommended to customize this modal to cater to your target audience and align with your dApp’s aesthetic.

Make sure to incorporate all wallets that support your dApp and provide educational resources to inform users about the different wallet options available.

Growth Strategy on how dApps can Sustain User Growth and Retention Rates Using friendly UI/UX.

Additionally, don’t forget to consider the mobile version of your dApp, as it is increasingly becoming the preferred method of accessing dApps for many users.

You could also add a Bar-code for users to easily scan and download any of the wallets from PlayStore or App Store.

Confirmation screens

When using banking and finance dApps to make transactions, users are typically presented with a confirmation screen that summarizes the details of the transaction and asks for approval.

However, these screens can be confusing and overwhelming, especially for Newbies who are not familiar with crypto jargon like Gwei, Slippage or Royalties.

This can lead to users feeling like they are being charged hidden fees or worse.

To address this issue, dApp developers can make a few tweaks to their confirmation screens on dApps they build.

For example, developers could include the specific action in the title, prioritize the most important information at the top, and provide additional details below.

They could also use more human-friendly labels, display the local currency value alongside the crypto value, and use tooltips to explain key concepts.

The entire idea is the User experience. You’d want your dApp to be user-friendly.

Additionally, developers could allow users to subtract fees from the total amount, estimate transaction time based on network congestion, and provide the option to receive a transaction summary via email.

While some crypto jargon may still be necessary, these tweaks offer an opportunity to educate users on important terms and concepts.

Growth Strategy on how dApps can Sustain User Growth and Retention Rates Using friendly UI/UX.

Generally, confirmation screens serve a wide range of purposes beyond just sending cryptocurrency, and their details should be customized to the specific task at hand.

For example, a confirmation screen may simply require a signature to make a minor change or grant additional permissions within a decentralized application (dApp).

Overall, the details presented on a confirmation screen should be appropriate and relevant to the specific task being performed.

Transaction Status

With cryptocurrency payments, the speed of transaction completion is crucial.

Unfortunately, this can be a frustrating experience for users due to the varying transaction status screens of different decentralized applications (dApps).

Some dApps utilize third-party custodial services like Fireblocks, which do not provide detailed transaction data through their API.

This means that users are left with a basic transaction status, which does not update automatically, forcing them to refresh the page to check for any changes.

This lack of transparency is unacceptable, especially since dApps do not typically offer help desks or customer service for users to seek assistance.

However, there are solutions to this problem.

One notable work on this was done by BitPay, which developed an open-source monitoring client that relays all transaction data through a webhook.

Growth Strategy on how dApps can Sustain User Growth and Retention Rates Using friendly UI/UX.

And this can be implemented even by dApps that use third-party custody services, like Fireblocks.

DApps must prioritize improving their transaction status screens to provide users with a detailed understanding of what is happening with their transactions.

This information should include

  • dynamic status updates,
  • An indication that the transaction is in progress,
  • An estimated time of completion,
  • The number of confirmations,
  • Information on how to speed up or cancel the transaction,
  • An emergency cancel button, and a link to the transaction on a block explorer.

dApps need to ensure that their transaction status screens are transparent and informative to avoid causing unnecessary stress and concern for their users.

Disconnecting

In a recent cyber attack on OpenSea users, an exploiter created a malicious website and sent out a fake email, disguised as an official OpenSea email regarding a contract migration.

This led NFT influencers to share threads on how to disconnect wallets from OpenSea and revoke token approvals, to mitigate potential risks.

Some people went as far as suggesting creating new wallets and transferring all assets, but luckily, the extent of the damage was not as severe as initially feared.

However, this event highlights the importance of security and the need for a disconnect button to be a standard feature for all dApps.

This would empower users to revoke access to their data immediately or after a specified period.

Growth Strategy on how dApps can Sustain User Growth and Retention Rates Using friendly UI/UX.

As more data becomes tied to blockchains and more dApps are built, easily disconnecting from these platforms represents a core ideological tenant of Web3, which will grow the amount of data on the chain and power the next wave of the internet.

Trust in the system is paramount, and there is much work to be done to ensure it.

While these Key UX issues, when fixed by developers improve the user experience on dApps, it’s rather necessary to see how this applies in a Growth Marketing Setting.

How Better UX on dApps can aid retention rates using Growth Marketing Strategies

Growth marketing is a data-driven marketing approach that focuses on growing a business by acquiring and retaining customers.

It involves identifying and testing different marketing channels and tactics to determine which ones are most effective at driving growth.

With an improved UX in dApps, we’d need to put our emphasis on some keywords here;

  • Retaining Customers
  • Driving Growth

These two factors above are essential for dApps.

While developers and teams focus on building awesome solutions etc, there’s a need to acquire dUAW — New users using your dApp — consistently.

But not just Acquiring, but also Retaining them, so they become repeat customers.

Growth Strategy on how dApps can Sustain User Growth and Retention Rates Using friendly UI/UX.

Retaining the dUAW — the users — is the only way dApps can truly grow in terms of transaction volume, dUAW, Revenue, Market Share, Interactions and time spent on the dApp.

Here’s why, Rather than focusing solely on acquiring new customers, retention seeks to deepen the relationship with existing users and increase their loyalty to dApp.

Amongst many factors, the driving force behind increased retention is an amazing User Experience.

One that keeps them glued to their screens as users prioritise dApps with more friendly UX over others.

As you might have guessed, the focus on retention also ensures developers and marketers optimise their budget for Acquisition and drive scalable growth for the brand.

That’s because they’ve got their retention on lock.

A not-so-great alternative to this is: When devs do not bother about UX on the dApps and are careless about the Retention possibilities on the dApp.

This would mean, you’d focus on spending huge revenue on acquiring new dUAW — users — because the previous ones that came simply left, and there’s no room for growth and scalability.

We talk about mass adoption and all sort. One step we can actively take is to simplify our product consumption. Making it easy for users to use and refer to their friends.

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Web3 Growth Marketing
Web3 Growth Marketing

Published in Web3 Growth Marketing

W3GM is a Publication for founders, Growth marketers and community builders looking to scale marketing in Web3.

Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime

Written by Optimus Prime

DR Copywriter and Growth Marketer Helping Web3 scale with Growth Marketing Strategies. I write about Growth Marketing, Defi and Web3

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