C

just al dente 🍝

[Alex Cohen @anothercohen]

Now that Twitter is rebranding to X, what do we call Tweets?

Xcerpts?

[0xDesigner @0xDesigner]

Web2 vs Web3 UX

I was asked by a reporter from a crypto publication about the disparity between web2 and web3 UX. It’s a meaningful line of questioning that isn't covered enough. So I’m going to share some half-baked thoughts in hopes that it triggers more discourse.

Why is web3 UX considerably worse than web2 UX?

The most unique challenge that web3 UX faces is permanence. Unlike web2, every action taken on the blockchain is irreversible. There's no undo button on the blockchain and mistakes are expensive.

So more often than not, product teams prioritize security and error prevention over convenience. As they should. But it requires substantially more cognitive effort for the user.

In order to keep users safe and prevent costly errors, you have to show the user what's under the hood upfront in order for them to feel in control and reduce errors. Informing the user usually involves surfacing technical info, which requires more thinking and upfront education.

Think of it this way: Web2 is like driving an automatic car. It's straightforward; you get in, press the pedal, and off you go. Web3, on the other hand, is more like driving stick. You need to understand the gears, the clutch, and constantly monitor the tachometer otherwise you’ll damage the transmission or stall the car.

Is web3 lacking talent?

From what I've seen, most product teams are engineering driven. The designer to developer ratios are lower than in web2. That usually results in more technical solutions.

One guess: Over the last few years, the tolerance for difficult-to-use apps is asymmetrically high because there’s been a financial incentive for users to overcome it. Most products and protocols have competed on incentives, not usability.

It’s a chicken or egg problem with attracting designers. Designers help make great products, and great products help attract designers.

The big talent unlock in my opinion is creating crypto applications that are consumer-oriented—sexy, highly visible products with a large user base.

I think the next crypto cycle will be driven by consumer apps that are powered by crypto, but users won’t know it’s crypto unless they look closely (gaming, music, social apps, etc.).

What are you and other industry figures trying to do about it?

The next cycle (consumer crypto) will require infrastructure that makes the crypto part feel invisible. And we’re basically there: web2 logins that spin up wallets in the background (i.e. magic link, privy, Coinbase WAAS, etc.), simple on and off-ramps (i.e. moonpay, ansible, ratio, etc.).

It’s not just third-parties that can improve this, but the base protocol layer too. There are a series of upgrades and changes that make wallet creation and management easier with smart contracts and NFTs. The ones in my purview: EIP-4337 and EIP-6551.

There are also several emerging Layer 2, scaling solutions and cross-chain compatibilities that improve the UX of the interactions *after* onboarding stages, too. That will reduce UX burden created by gas fees.

A lot of factors are converging to lower the amount of education needed to participate and get started, and that’s the foundation for most of the UX issues.

Ultimately, it’s a vicious cycle of solving UX problems and then making better products that require solving more UX problems. The more consumer-oriented products we create, the more of a forcing function it is for infrastructure and talent.

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TL;DR

Web3 UX faces unique challenges, namely protecting users from irreversible mistakes. However, the rise of consumer apps that abstract away the blockchain and new, user-friendly infrastructure signals promising progress.

[Steve 🤙 @SteveKBark]

What @doodles did last night was something I’ve never seen in NFTs. Forget terms like bullish and bearish…those are often short term phrases. Last night shows me Doodles is a brand ready to permeate pop culture for years to come. Here’s why…

👇(THREAD 🧵 1/8)👇

[Shopify @Shopify]

we're giving away a Doodles NFT

follow @shopify + @doodles and RT this tweet for a chance to own this 👇

[Voxel Ville @VilleVoxel]

🇬🇧 LONDON Collection Whitelist Giveaway! 🇬🇧

We are giving away a whitelist spot to our London collection one lucky winner:

➡️ Follow @VilleVoxel
➡️ Like & Retweet this post

Join our Discord for more information on our upcoming collections! https://t.co/v4TPtfzKKQ

[C @yescherrr]

the animation, the creativity and the community of Random Character Collective

[Invisible Friends @InvsbleFriends]

STILL HIDING GIVEAWAY

1)Like & Follow
2)Quote RT this with what your favorite part of Invisible Friends is
3)Fill out the form in this link: https://t.co/ujkTf37fQ4

5 random winners (24hrs) will be put on the EARLY ACCESS LIST and receive a promo code for a FREE MERCH BUNDLE

[C @yescherrr]

the welcoming community and the attention to detail to each design 🥰

[Voxel Ville @VilleVoxel]

🇯🇵 Voxel Ville Downtown Japan Giveaway 🇯🇵

To celebrate the launch of our most popular collection drop so far, we are giving 10 whitelist spots away!

👉 LIKE this tweet & follow us
👉 JOIN - https://t.co/v4TPtfzKKQ
👉 RETWEET and quote you favourite thing about Voxel Ville

[C @yescherrr]

@VilleVoxel the welcoming community and the attention to detail to each plot design 🥰

[C @yescherrr]

@VilleVoxel !!

[doodles @doodles]

hey @twitter, wen animated pfps?

doodle #316 by @alfiemotion