UX Challenges in Blockchain

In one of my user experience research endeavors, I came across an article written by Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin earlier this year. In the article, Vitalik shared his experiences from 2013, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Let's delve into these experiences and the lessons drawn from a user experience perspective.

Our first example is a sushi restaurant. In 2013, attempting to make a payment with BTC at a known establishment, Vitalik faced challenges due to poor mobile internet. He suggested solutions like using NFC payment or having the customer display a QR code to overcome unreliable internet issues.

In 2019, exploring a wallet with a social recovery feature, Vitalik encountered a complex system involving a private key split into 5 parts. To recover the key, at least 3 trusted individuals (guardians) needed to have their share. Issues arose later, such as key holders losing access due to phone upgrades, Firebase (third-party app) connection failures, and application updates accidentally erasing keys.

A 2021 incident in an Argentine café revealed a hurdle when Vitalik, recognized by the owner, attempted to pay with ETH. The centralized exchange wallet provided by the owner had a minimum transfer limit issue, highlighting challenges in the everyday adoption of cryptocurrencies.

A more recent 2022 example involves payment trouble when Vitalik tried to pay for tea with ETH. Default base fees and an unscrollable gas limit adjustment screen in the wallet app led to payment issues, emphasizing the importance of a good user interface.

In conclusion, a good user experience is crafted not for the average scenario but with consideration for the worst-case scenario. A UI that may not be visually appealing but allows understanding and problem-solving is preferable to a sleek UI that provides a poor experience even in average transactions. The lack of significant improvements in average issues over the years indicates insufficient emphasis on user experience in developed dApps, suggesting that mobile-friendly wallets need more nuanced solutions. Account abstraction, particularly its role in not requiring users to store a seed phrase (12 words), holds great importance in reaching the targeted 1 billion users.