General Population is not ready for Web3!
But why is that? let's dig in!
UI/UX of Web3 apps is not for the Average Internet User
One of Web3’s biggest shortcomings is that it is simply too complex and too difficult to understand for most people – especially for those, who have little to no experience with topics involving crypto, blockchains etc. Web3, NFTs, DeFi, Tokens, DAOs… – your average Internet user will barely know any of these terms, much less understand their meanings.
Taking Defi as an example, The problem with most DeFi startups is that they are fundamentally developer-driven and not consumer-friendly enough. And that’s the barrier to entry to not just DeFi, but also Web3 apps in general. Let’s face it: most DeFi platforms and crypto wallets nowadays still have a cumbersome and confusing interface.
lets look at it through the perspective of an average internet user-
lets assume that your friend told you about this new technology called blockchain and a whole new market called crypto where people are making loads of money. you get intrigued, so you start reading about it, you first read about blockchain which leads to reading about BTC then Ethereum and you then find out that there’s a whole ecosystem of apps running on blockchains.
A whole new world out there on the internet to explore. you read about diff blockchains and dapps running on them - Dex, nft marketplaces and P2E games, Metaverses etc. and now you want to try all these. lets assume you want to try using a DEX on Eth blockchain, lets break the process of using a dex into steps-
1. for you to use a Dex, first you need a pvt wallet, so you download one (lets assume Metamask) now you get a seed phrase on the screen and it says keep it safe and dont lose it (here is the first difficulty, average user usually loses stuff). you note it down, create a password and then tada, your wallet is created, but now you need funds on the wallet to use it.
2. now you have a few options to buy the funds from- a) through the wallet where you can use coinbase pay, wyre, transak or moonpay. b) you deposit it from an exchange. lets assume you dont use any of the above-mentioned apps. so now you create an account on a crypto exchange. there you buy usdt through your credit/debit card.
3. now you have to withdraw those usdt to your pvt wallet. but wait, you also need to have ETH in your wallet for gas fee. so you buy eth on the exchange first, then you withdraw your eth and USDT to you Metamask wallet. while withdrawing you get to know that you have to carefully copy your MM address then paste and then theres also a fee on withdrawal. but you proceed, now you have funds on your Metamask wallet.
4. now you open the uniswap dapp. there you connect your wallet. and now you want to swap your usdt to btc, so u select the same on the dapp. now you see that you have to approve your usdt spend limit before swapping. you click on the approve button and you spend 1-2$ on approving, and then you confirm. now you click on the swap, your Metamask wallet prompts and there you see a gas fee of 5-10$ just to swap 50$ worth of usdt to btc (thats 10-20% fee for a single tx). you confirm the tx and then it took about 10-30 seconds for swap to be completed.
5. Swap Completed, you get a prompt to add BTC to wallet but lets assume you ignored it by chance. now you head over to the wallet and you see your wallet is empty. usdt is gone cause you swapped it and no signs on BTC anywhere.
6. now you google the issue and you get to know that you now have to import the contract address of the BTC(eth chain) to your wallet. you spend time googling the contract address of BTC and then you import it into your wallet. Now you are able to see your BTC in your wallet.
Finally, the process is over! But you realize that it is too complex for you and it took you a long time just to do a simple tx on the uniswap DEX. Now, due to this tiresome process to purchase a small amount of BTC On-chain, you lose your interest in Web3 just because it’s too complex and time taking.
Do you get my point now? In its current stage, Web3 and most Web3-based applications appear to be mostly going the „by devs for devs“-route, meaning that your average internet user will either not see any use and value in your products, or will not understand the problems they aim to solve.
Whats the Solution?
Developers in the Web3 space need to focus more on the concrete solution their product will provide to a real-world problem – and focus less on how „futuristic“ and „life-changing“ their new technology is.
Devs need to keep the look and feel of web3 apps familiar to Web2 products – in order to get more people on board. Using a Web3 application shouldn’t feel much different than using a Web2 one.
This is the first step in getting people onboard to Web3. Once you create a smoother user experience for people that are still new to things like crypto wallets, blockchain technology etc. then only people will be able to experience the full potential of Web3.
Conclusion
Web3 is still a pretty new phenomenon and too far way from the mainstream. People either don’t understand Web3, or distrust it – or both. the ones who try web3 apps for the first time find it way too complex and time-consuming and get discouraged. To change this, developers and designers need to make their dApps and websites more accessible and establish trust through means of education, transparency, and familiarity.
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