How To Improve Your Web3 Project’s UI/UX: Slope’s Jeffrey Zhao

Talk to just about anyone in web3 and they’ll tell you that a major barrier to adoption is thorny UI/UX. “Web3 encapsulates a lot of complexity,” both technical and experiential, says Jeffrey Zhao, design partner at Slope, a creative agency for startups.

Web3 founders, then, have a lot to worry about when designing products. Fortunately, Jeffrey shared his list of key design principles for success with our Variant Founder Fellowship cohort.

Below the video, check out our biggest takeaways from his talk.

Design for comprehension.

To help users navigate a web3 interface, Jeffrey says you should treat your app as a “scoped universe.” Creating a consistent UI throughout reduces the mental load for the user and trains them on what to expect. (Designing for comprehension is also about avoiding info dumps. Watch Jeffrey explain how to “trickle in information strategically” at 4:15.)

Design for magic.

“Web3 is a unique opportunity to rebuild traditional systems,” says Jeffrey. So let’s not settle for slightly better—let’s reimagine them and make them significantly simpler. (Not everything needs to be ultra-functional. Hear Jeffrey explain why you should incorporate “small moments of delight” at 11:35.)

Design for composability.

Composability means that whenever someone is interacting with your product, they’re likely also interacting with someone else’s. “Don’t assume UI is the responsibility of other protocols,” Jeffrey warns. “If your users touch them, you should design with them in mind.” (Hear why composability can lead to generic UI if you’re not careful, at 20:20.)

Design for your user.

Courting pro users isn’t an excuse to make your product super complex. “Simple, seamless UI is appreciated by everyone,” advises Jeffrey. (See how two top marketplaces took different approaches to designing for their users at 24:45.)

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