As a frontend developer who’s watched countless people, parents, friends, newcomers try and fail to use Web3 applications, I need to be direct: most Web3 UX is unacceptably bad. Not “needs improvement” bad. Not “could be better” bad. It’s “watch someone give up in real-time” bad.
This isn’t about aesthetics or minor usability tweaks. This is about fundamental barriers that prevent otherwise capable people from using your product at all. If you’re building in Web3, your users are leaving before they even start. And the problem isn’t them, it’s your interface.
The Reality: Users Are Quitting During Onboarding
I’ve used Binance. The experience is a masterclass in user hostility, nested menus, unexplained terminology, critical actions buried under layers of navigation, and zero guidance for what to do next. For someone coming from traditional banking apps, it’s overwhelming to the point of paralysis.
Compare that to Phantom Wallet on Solana. Clean interface. Clear actions. Logical flow. It proves Web3 UX can work, which makes every other poor experience even less defensible.
But here’s what matters more than my opinion: I’ve watched non-technical people try to set up wallets, attempt their first transaction, or simply figure out what “gas fees” mean. Most don’t make it past the first few screens. They don’t persevere through confusing interfaces. They don’t Google every unfamiliar term. They just leave.
And they don’t come back.
Why Your Technical Team Doesn’t See the Problem
Most Web3 platforms are built by developers who already understand blockchain concepts, wallet mechanics, and transaction flows. If you’re reading this and you work in Web3, you probably set up your first wallet years ago. You instinctively know what “approve token allowance” means. You understand why transaction confirmations take time.
Your users don’t.
The disconnect happens because teams design for themselves rather than for their actual users. My survey of new users revealed that 36% are stopped by “big language that I truly dislike.” Another simply said, “I don’t know how it works.”
You’re building for a technical elite, not for the grandmother, the freelancer, or the curious newcomer. These users encounter:
Wallet setup that assumes prior knowledge: Multiple seed phrase warnings with no explanation of what they’re protecting against or why it matters.
Transaction flows that generate anxiety: Signing requests that look like security threats, fees that change without warning, irreversible actions with no safety net.
Interfaces designed for developers: Technical jargon presented without context, information density that overwhelms rather than informs.
Zero forgiveness for mistakes: One wrong click can mean permanent loss of funds with no customer service to call.
This isn’t a learning curve. It’s a cliff.
The Data Tells the Same Story, And It Gets Worse
A 2024 ConsenSys report found that 55% of potential users abandon onboarding during wallet setup. That’s not a small usability issue; that’s half your potential audience deciding your product isn’t worth the effort.
My own research echoes this at a granular level. When first-time users were asked what frustrated them most, the answers were telling:
60% cited fundamental confusion with concepts like “liquidity pools.”
40% were exhausted by the process itself, with one user stating, “Verification and too many words and steps… Before I can set up, I’m already tired.”
Nearly half reported getting lost in the interface after completing actions, with one saying, “I just got stuck looking for the tokens I swapped.”
Think about what that means for your growth metrics. You could have the most innovative protocol, the best tokenomics, the most robust security, and you’re still losing users because they’re tired, confused, and can’t find their own money. You can’t scale when your front door is locked.
What Actually Works: Lessons From Products Users Can Use
Some Web3 products have figured this out:
Phantom Wallet succeeded on Solana by treating UX as seriously as security. Clean visual hierarchy, progressive disclosure of complexity, and onboarding that guides rather than gatekeeps. Users can complete basic tasks without understanding Solana’s architecture.
Lens Protocol delivers decentralized social media using familiar interaction patterns from Web2. Users don’t need to understand the underlying protocol to post, follow, and engage.
Base by Coinbase abstracts blockchain complexity during onboarding. New users can start transacting without first becoming blockchain experts.
An everything app that brings together a social network, apps, payments, and finance. One place to earn, trade, and chat with everyone, everywhere.
These aren’t dumbed-down versions of Web3. They’re properly designed versions that respect users’ time and cognitive limits.
How to Fix This: Actionable Changes for Development Teams
1. Start With User Testing, Not Assumptions
Watch someone who’s never used crypto try to use your product. Don’t help them. Don’t explain things. Just observe where they get stuck, confused, or frustrated. Those moments are your UX failures; fix them first.
2. Write for Humans, Not Developers
Replace every piece of jargon with plain language. “Approve token allowance” becomes “Let this app access your tokens for this transaction.” If you can’t explain a concept in simple terms, your interface shouldn’t expose it to users.
3. Design Mobile-First
In emerging markets where Web3 has the most potential impact, mobile is the primary access point. If your interface requires a desktop computer and MetaMask extension, you’ve already excluded most of the world.
4. Build Progressive Onboarding
Let users explore limited functionality before requiring wallet setup. Show value before demanding commitment. Each additional step should feel earned and necessary, not arbitrary.
5. Provide Contextual Help When It Matters
Don’t hide documentation in separate help centers. Integrate tooltips, inline explanations, and interactive guides exactly where users need them. When someone hovers over “gas fee,” explain it right there in language they understand.
6. Add Safety Rails for Irreversible Actions
Confirmation dialogs should clearly explain consequences: “This will permanently transfer X tokens to address Y. This cannot be undone.” Give users a moment to verify before they commit.
The Path Forward: UX as a Competitive Advantage
Web3 doesn’t have a technology problem; the infrastructure is mature and robust. Web3 has an accessibility problem. The winning projects in the next wave won’t be the ones with the most sophisticated protocols. They’ll be the ones that normal people can actually use.
If you’re building in Web3 right now, you have a choice. You can keep designing for developers and early adopters, accepting that your user base will remain small and technical. Or you can invest in real UX design from day one and build products that work for everyone.
Your competitors are making this choice right now. The ones who choose accessibility will reach mainstream adoption. The ones who don’t will remain niche curiosities, celebrated in developer communities but ignored by the market.
A Direct Call to Web3 Builders
If you’re a founder, product manager, or developer working in Web3, your UX is probably worse than you think. The friction you’ve normalized is driving away the users you need to succeed.
Test your product with people outside crypto. Watch them struggle. Feel the frustration. Then fix it.
Because right now, you’re not competing against other Web3 platforms. You’re competing against every Web2 app that lets users accomplish tasks without thinking about the underlying technology. Until your UX matches that standard, mainstream adoption will remain a distant goal rather than an approaching reality.
The future of Web3 depends on builders who care as much about user experience as they do about decentralization.
Be one of them.
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Originally published on Medium Medium.
I post more takes on web dev, design, Web3, and tech.
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