How to Create Blockchain UX Design? Gapsy Studio Guide

40 million of people worldwide use blockchain technology, offering new possibilities for secure transactions, decentralized systems, and digital asset management. Blockchain technology revolutionized various industries, offering new opportunities for certain transactions, decentralized systems, and digital asset management. Blockchain UX design ensures users can navigate, understand, and interact with these complex systems. Stay tuned to learn about the importance of innovation in the blockchain industry!

Blockchain UX design creates user-friendly and intuitive interfaces for applications or platforms that utilize blockchain technology. It focuses on enhancing the user experience and ensuring that interacting with blockchain-based systems is seamless and accessible to various users, regardless of their technical expertise.

Blockchain UX can be divided into several design patterns that deliver different experiences and have their principles.

Cryptocurrency wallets UX patterns

The most popular blockchain services worldwide are crypto wallets. They are software applications or devices that securely store, manage, and interact with cryptocurrencies. 

Crypto wallets serve two primary functions:

• Storing cryptocurrency
• Managing transactions

The challenge here is optimizing wallets to different operating systems. As an open system, blockchain lacks a central authority that regulates and standardizes user experience across platforms and devices. This way, designers have to create a simple and user-centered experience for people across various platforms and devices. 

Crypto wallets require robust security measures to protect user funds. UX patterns must emphasize security features such as two-factor authentication (2FA), biometric authentication, and hardware wallet integration. Clearly explaining the security measures and providing options for users to manage their security settings are critical considerations.

Related article: Crypto UX Design.

DeFi UX patterns

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is a rapidly evolving sector within the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry. DeFi applications use decentralized protocols to provide traditional financial services, such as lending, borrowing, trading, and investing.

DeFi applications typically feature a dashboard or overview page that gives users a snapshot of their account balances, transaction history, and portfolio performance. The dashboard should present this information as visually appealing and easily understandable, allowing users to assess their financial data. 

DeFi emphasizes transparency, and UX patterns should reflect this by providing precise and relevant information. Users should have access to details, such as interest rates, transaction fees, token prices, and liquidity pools. Displaying this information concisely and efficiently digestible helps users make informed decisions. 

DeFi is still unknown to some users, so they’ll probably make mistakes. DeFi applications should handle errors gracefully and provide guidance when users encounter issues. Error messages, tooltips, and contextual help can assist users in understanding and resolving problems. The user experience here must appear as easy as possible, excluding the overuse of unnecessary information and complex terminology.

NFT UX patterns

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have gained significant popularity as unique digital assets representing ownership or proof of authenticity for various forms of digital content. NFT UX patterns often integrate with users' wallets to display their owned NFTs. This integration allows users to view their collections directly within the platform. UX design should provide seamless wallet integration, clearly demonstrating the owned NFTs and associated details. 

Buying or bidding on NFTs is the primary interaction in such platforms. UX design is responsible for clear and intuitive actions for users to place bids, make purchases, or participate in auctions. Real-time feedback and notifications keep users informed about the status of their offers and transactions.

These platforms focus on visually presenting the NFTs to showcase their unique characteristics. It’s vital to optimize the presentation of NFT images or videos, providing an immersive experience. Interactive features like zooming or rotating the artwork can enhance user engagement.

There are many UX design challenges faced when designing a blockchain platform. Here, we’ll cover the common ones you should try to avoid.

Complex onboarding

The onboarding process sets the first impression for users. You are responsible for educating the audience in the easiest way possible. Overly long and complex onboarding frustrates users. Blockchain technology involves new concepts, terminology, and procedures that can be confusing, especially for those unfamiliar with the technology. 

Adopt a progressive disclosure approach by presenting information gradually. It’s better to start with the most essential and straightforward steps and moderately introduce advanced features as users become more familiar with the platform. This strategy prevents overwhelming users with too much information at once. 

Read more about Effective User Onboarding.

Technical terminology

Crypto jargon overuse can interfere with providing blockchain technology accessibility to a wide range of users. However, if the blockchain UX heavily relies on technical jargon, it can exclude individuals with limited technical knowledge or those new to blockchain. Designers need to ensure that the interface is inclusive and caters to users with varying levels of expertise. 

Blockchain technology is often associated with decentralization, immutability, and security. Yet, users need help understanding these concepts due to technical jargon to maintain their trust in the system. Transparent communication is vital to building user confidence in the technology and its applications.

Scalability and performance

A poor platform’s performance can appear due to the flawed UX design. User experience is a primary factor in blockchain application design. Focus on minimizing delays and response times to create a smooth interface. It’s better to streamline the user interface by prioritizing essential functions and reducing unnecessary steps or information to achieve a positive effect. 

Continuously monitor the blockchain network and the associated infrastructure performance. It’s where you can identify potential areas of improvement and work closely with developers to optimize network performance. Regularly analyze network metrics, such as transaction confirmation times, to identify areas for optimization. You can conduct a UX audit to see if the blockchain UX/UI is a problem in performance and optimization.

Security and usability

Balancing these two factors is among the most complex challenges in the UX blockchain. Security and usability are two critical aspects that create a qualitative blockchain platform, so it’s crucial to prioritize them. As we mentioned before, educating users on blockchain apps is essential. But it’s also vital for enhancing security awareness. 

Communicate the importance of security measures, such as private key management, two-factor authentication, and transaction verification. Provide easy-to-understand explanations and guide users through best practices to ensure they understand their role in maintaining security. Intuitive interfaces are a must. Create a harmonious atmosphere inside the platform that guides users without issues. You can provide contextual help and explanations in places that may confuse new users.

Shortage of UX Designers Experienced in Blockchain Technology

The field of blockchain UX design is relatively new, and more designers need to have expertise in this specialization. Finding designers who deeply comprehend UX principles and blockchain technology is complicated, resulting in a talent shortage. Blockchain technology introduces unique concepts, such as decentralized systems, cryptographic security, and immutable transactions. Designers need to understand them and their implications for user experience.

Gapsy Studio is a team of professionals with experience designing DeFi and NFT platforms. Take a closer look at our latest projects below.

Gapsy provides many UX/UI design services.

Every product type has unique user requirements and difficulties that you should consider in the blockchain UX/UI design. Let’s discuss the strategies and tips you can use when designing the platform.

Engaging all stakeholders early on

Involving stakeholders early fosters collaboration and ensures everyone aligns on the project goals and objectives. It allows for brainstorming and collective decision-making, leading to a shared understanding of the project vision. This collaboration helps avoid misunderstandings or misaligned expectations later in the design process. 

Blockchain technology comes with its own set of technical constraints and considerations. Involving developers and experts in early development allows designers to understand the technical limitations and possibilities. 

To involve stakeholders effectively, consider the following strategies:

• Conduct stakeholder interviews to gather insights.
• Organize regular meetings to encourage collaboration and collect feedback.
• Use prototyping tools or wireframing techniques to create early design concepts for discussion.
• Encourage open and transparent communication channels for ongoing discussions.

Researching the target audience

Understanding target audience needs is critical for creating effective blockchain UX/UI. Start by defining your target audience for the blockchain application. Consider demographics such as age, gender, location, and profession. Also, determine their familiarity with blockchain technology level and the specific use cases or pain points the application aims to address. 

There are several ways to get to know your end-users.

• User interviews. Conduct interviews with potential users to gather qualitative insights. Learn about their needs, expectations, and challenges related to blockchain applications.
• Surveys. They allow you to gather more statistical insights about user preferences, behaviors, and opinions related to blockchain technology and their needs for the specific application.
• User personas. Create user personas that represent different types of your target audience. They are fictional characters that embody the characteristics and goals of your users and help you make user-oriented design decisions.

This knowledge empowers you to design blockchain applications that effectively address users' requirements and provide an outstanding experience.

You may be interested in the web design services we offer.

Utilizing human-centered design principles

Design is about evoking emotions. Put yourself in your users' shoes and develop a deep understanding of their motivations and challenges. Empathy helps you design solutions that truly resonate with users. 

Apply design thinking strategies to understand the problem and generate innovative solutions. It involves stages such as empathizing with users, defining the problem, ideating potential solutions, prototyping, and testing. Design thinking promotes a user-centric approach and fosters creativity in problem-solving. 

The next essential step is collecting user feedback. Involve users throughout the design process to ensure you hear their ideas for improvement. Use their feedback to refine the user experience and address pain points effectively. 

Prioritize usability and simplicity in your designs. Ensure the blockchain application is easy to use, intuitive, and requires minimal effort to achieve desired outcomes. Simplify complex processes and provide clear instructions to guide users through their interactions.

Testing and iterating

The final step would be testing and iterating your UX blockchain design. Create prototypes of your blockchain application at different design process stages. These can range from low-fidelity paper prototypes to interactive digital prototypes. Test the prototypes with representative users to gather feedback on the design, functionality, and user experience. You can use these insights to iterate the design and see possible flows.

Implement A/B testing to compare two or more variations of your blockchain UX. Create different versions of a particular feature or design element and randomly assign users to each version. Then measure their behavior and outcomes to determine which variation performs better. A/B testing helps optimize design decisions based on user preferences.

The blockchain UX design field is rapidly evolving, driven by technology advancements and user expectations. Designers must stay alongside the latest trends, patterns, and best practices to create meaningful experiences as the blockchain ecosystem expands. By focusing on simplicity and accessibility, blockchain UX designers can empower users to navigate and leverage blockchain applications. Whether it's a digital wallet, DeFi platform, NFT marketplace, or other blockchain-based solution, prioritizing user-centric design is essential for unlocking the full blockchain technology potential. 

Contact us to collaborate on your blockchain UX! Gapsy experts will ensure you with professional work and a unique design approach. Look at our works on Dribbble and Behance. We are looking forward to working with you!