We're riding the waves of a UI revolution, right in the thick of web3's perfect storm. So here's the skinny: the backend, once a knotty beast, is breaking free from the UI's chains. Why's that? Well, in some places, legal hoops make using certain interfaces a no-go. Therefore, interfaces have gone rogue, open to download and fork for all on platforms like GitHub, making it a playground for anyone to tango with smart contracts directly in their own ways.
This shakes up our whole view in web3: UI and UX is just a piece of the user experience pie, not the whole dessert. You can completely bypass traditional UIs and their UX, directly diving into smart contracts. Take that fellow but what about the UX of Web3 friends. Therefore, we're witnessing an exciting unbundling of experience from execution, e.g. potential existential crisis for me as a designer.
But, don't get it twisted; this isn't a step back – it's a giant leap ahead. Why? Because engaging directly with applications without a UI intermediary flings open doors for anyone to whip up their unique UI layers. This is empowerment in its purest form, transforming every user into a potential designer. We're on the brink of seeing this exploration skyrocket, draw your own DeFi UI and have it rendered by code, is already here, just not evenly accepted yet.
At the same time, in web3, there's a flurry of single-use dapps paradigms like Lens Open Action, Uniswap Hooks, and Metamask Snaps popping up. They pose a big question: where will they settle? Are our wallet feeds and social timelines about to morph into bustling micro app stores, transforming from passive historical records to active playgrounds of engagement?
Parallel to this, I've been getting my hands dirty with any genAI for UI generation. This shit is wild, I have to admit that and for my fellow designers I kind of stopped using Figma, it’s just to damn slow. Don’t visualize your ideas, ideas are merely prompt for you to build a proof of concept immediately.
Apple's dive into app clips and shortcuts, turning their camera cutout and home screen into interactive playgrounds, mirrors this trend in web3. These tools, together with the likes of Lens Open Action or Metamask Snaps, are slicing the web into bite-sized, accessible actions. Accessibility isn't just a byproduct; it's a core feature now, with AI not just translating languages but also adapting to various accessibility needs. As we untangle the front and back ends, we're uncovering new ways to package them – a trend mirrored in AI developments like ChatGPT. It's the classic story of the internet – bundling and unbundling – but now, we're putting the pedal to the metal with AI, automating and accelerating these processes.
This separation of logic and execution from experience is not just about offering a spectrum of experiences, from luxurious to minimalistic, even AI-generated. It's also about sustainability; UIs can now evolve independently of their functional counterparts. This means that even if the experience layer takes a hit because the team that builds an experience rage quits, the functional layer, especially those built on smart contracts, can continue chugging along, reducing the risk of losing functionality. Single-purpose apps, born from a simple prompt, will be the epitome of this. Again ideas are mere prompts by now.
The power of smart contracts isn't just in their interoperability but also in their foundational support for complex functions. This new design wave, blending web3 and genAI, is leading us to a crucial junction: what's the future of UI looking like? We're pulling apart layers – experience, execution, and data – each with its own destiny: ensuring safety in execution, AI dominating the data realm, and more localized computing. And by the way we are also witnessing live the same thing happens with the likes of Celestia, etc. in the blockchain realm itself.
But, what does this sea change mean for us, the designers and product builders? Are we just set-dressing in this new world, or is our role evolving as functionalities become system-generated? The good news is, this shift heralds a future ripe with on-device experiences boasting diverse interaction methods. Yet, the separation of data, execution, and experience is catapulting us into an era of ambient computing. Voice-activated smart contracts aren't just a cool idea; they're a target we should be shooting for. This, however, underscores the need for robust security and safety in every interaction – an ethical consideration we can't afford to overlook. As users become more distant from data and logic, it's crucial to ensure they're aware of the context and implications of their creations.
The unbundling of these elements isn't just opening doors for groundbreaking developments and applications; it's reshaping our role as designers. We're now tasked or almost forced with exploring new realms – new hardware, interaction patterns, surfaces – ensuring they're not just functional but also engaging and intuitive. And as we embrace this role, we also face the challenge of crafting business models in a world where bespoke user interfaces are the norm, and data security and smart contract integrity become premium commodities.
Furthermore, the educational impact of this shift can't be understated. The decoupling of UI from backend functionality makes learning and interacting with contracts accessible at multiple levels – from hardcore command-line enthusiasts to beginners guided by tutorial-like flows akin to Google Colab or Jupyter notebooks.
Lastly, this revolution is leading to a Cambrian explosion of interfaces and contracts, echoing the challenges faced by current app stores. We're moving towards a new era of social discovery, where everything from our transactions to behaviors and preferences is on-chain, opening up novel avenues opening up novel avenues for creating and exploring experiences.
The UI and UX is truly ours now.
