Decreasing uncertainty during crypto token swapping
OVERVIEW
Falcon, founded in 2021 as a crypto wallet for the Cosmos blockchain, offering secure digital asset management. However, users face challenges with complex interfaces token swapping, which hinders their overall experience and accessibility.
CONTRIBUTION AND OUTCOMES
I joined the team and worked on translating features across mobile and chrome extension platforms for: token swapping, purchasing and notifications. Worked with engineering and product management to design and launch features.
MY ROLE
UX/UI Design, Research
THE TEAM
1 PM, 6 Eng
TIMELINE
Shipped 2022 (acquired by Sei)
https://www.sei.io/
INTRODUCTION —
Crypto swapping involves exchanging one type of crypto token for another. Falcon acts as an aggregator, searching across multiple decentralized exchanges (DEXs) to find the best exchange rate for the swap. New users should easily be able to navigate swapping on Falcon…
However, the current platform isn’t optimized for that…
THE PROBLEM —
Users are struggling with the complexity and lack of transparency when swapping crypto tokens.
Users find the swapping flow unintuitive and unclear - they’re left with little to no information to understand transaction details, the status of their asset, and expected outcomes during token swapping, leading to confusion and mistrust.
THE STRATEGY —
Provide a clear swapping experience that builds trust by demystifying details that confuse users
What would a intuitive swapping process that guides users effortlessly through transactions look like?
THE SOLUTION —
An in-app transaction transparency system that breaks down on-chain action into a clear, visual, step by step summary before and after execution, showing what users pay, receive, and confirm.
RESEARCH —
Decoding user frustrations through our Discord community
Due to strict time constraints, we didn’t have time to carry out initial user interviews - instead I turned to secondary research by pouring through our discord channel and many forums, Reddit, crypto discussion forums
Some actionable key insights we were able to uncover were…
Understanding the current market
Was curious about common patterns that other swapping apps/websites follow, so I went through similar competitors (Trustwallet, Metamask as well as Uniswap) to get first hand experience. Some common patterns I recognized:
Token and chain info should is critical and should be prominent
Most platforms don’t have real time transaction information - very limited info
Not all platforms break down fees
Takeaways
LEARNINGS
This project really strengthened my ability to design for user trust in complex financial systems. I realized that in crypto, minimizing uncertainty is just as critical as simplifying features. I also learned that when time is limited, forums and Discord communities can be the most effective channels for gathering authentic feedback. Going forward, I would test assumptions earlier and give as much attention to failure states as to ideal user flows.
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