Project Overview

Block.one launched one of the world's most valuable new blockchains in June of 2028. Product development companies encountered the challenge of providing a trusted, user-friendly signing device. Due to security concerns, creating a browser plugin was not a preferred solution. The objective was to develop an application where keys could be securely stored in the iPhone's secure enclave. This would allow dApps to be viewed and securely signed in a browser within the application.

Project duration: 3 Months

Situation

In this rapidly evolving blockchain technology environment, the design and development team needed a way to visualize the application. As the UX Researcher, I was assigned to assist with this task.

Task

Investigate the integration of a signing application with a dApp browser to create a secure and seamless application experience within the browser as a hybrid app.

Understanding the user

• User research

• Personas

• Problem statements

User research

User Research: Summary

In order to better understand user needs, I interviewed individuals who use blockchain applications. This was done to identify their preferences and to uncover any issues they encounter.

User research pain points

Personas

Discovery

Usability Problems

Our customers and their patients appreciate our simple "See a Doctor Now" feature. However, it currently feels like an ER visit, offering no choice of doctor. To make the experience more patient-friendly and to honor our commitment to our clinic customers, we've decided to add a scheduling component. The challenge lies in determining which calendaring system to use, and how to ensure it is as user-friendly and straightforward as our "See a Doctor Now" feature.

User flows are known and comparatively simple.

The user process from application download to the final report involves only 10 steps, which is considered excellent.

• Open a browser application
• Choose to sign into the application
• Agree to sign with the EOSIO Signing application
• Display the EOS Signing sign-in page
• Confirm your account on the application
• Sign in
• Return to the application in the browser
• Confirm you're signed in

Paper Prototypes

We built and tested Paper prototype in coffee shops with developers who helped us to better understand their priorities.

We built and tested a paper prototype in coffee shops with developers. Their insights helped us better understand their priorities.

“I need to test with about 30 different accounts. How can I load all the accounts quickly?”

“I don’t need a friendly application, just something that gets the job done.”

“I want this to be for developers, not consumers. Consumers have other apps, and those apps don’t work for me at all.”

Conclusion

→ From the feedback we received, we concluded that the primary goal of the first version of the application is to improve developers' workflow.

Competitive Review

Competition (Aligned): Doctor on Demand

Recurring visits: My evaluation of Doctor on Demand showed that locating and scheduling a doctor can be a tedious process. The service provides numerous options, including an extensive 8-step onboarding process.

Competition (Unaligned):

Not researched

Because security and secure user processes take precedence in the thought process of this application, I focused more on user flows and took the lead form engineering for flow requirements.

Keeping flows simple. Because the application could only be used for signing the user would not be able to purchase tokens to create an account. So a user would need to have an account already to use the app.

iOS Native app user flows with UAL - Universal Authentication Library

User Add account:

1. User opens application
2. User choses acc using a key for either the owner or active account.
1. Owner Key
2. Active Key
3. User adds Owner or Active Private key
1. Application confirms key by finding public associated address(es)
2. Chose account user wants to add
3. Or multiple accounts to add more than one
4. Or add all if user wants to add all accounts associated with the key as owner or active.
4. Keys added
1. Errors: failed to add (with reason)
2. Success message, return to home screen with added keys

User signs into UAL enabled native or web application:

1. User opens native or browser application
2. User activates action that calls UAL
1. Receives dialog asking to open signing application
2. User says yes: opens signing applicaiton
3. User says no: dialog closes (end)
3. UAL signing app opens automatically
1. User presented with signing contract
1. Reviews contract to be sure it is correct
4. User chooses account with which to sign with
5. User signs
1. Signing takes place
2. Error: reason for failure
3. Success: Success dialog
6. User is automatically returned to home

Technical explanation

EOSIO Labs™ Release: The Universal Authenticator Library (UAL) — Increasing the Accessibility of…

In conjunction with the announcement of EOSIO Labs™, Block.one has released the Universal Authenticator Library (UAL) repository to…

medium.com

Final User Flow Diagrams

Add account to UAL app

Sign contract with UAL app

Learnings:

1. Understanding the user's needs and pain points is crucial in designing a user-friendly application and keeping it simple.
2. Competitive analysis can provide insights into what works and what doesn't in similar products.
3. Paper prototypes are an effective way to get early feedback from users.
4. A signing application combined with a dApp browser can create a seamless application and signing experience.
5. The primary goal of the first version of the application is to improve developers' workflow.
6. User flows should be kept simple for better usability.
7. Security and secure user processes are crucial in the design of the application.
8. Testing with multiple users can help uncover potential issues and areas for improvement.
9. Feedback from users can provide valuable insights and lead to product improvements.
10. Incorporating user feedback into design iterations can enhance the final product.

Final Delivery Designs

Thanks!

©2024 Thomas Hallgren