UX design in Web 3.0
With the new iteration of the internet gradually gaining pace as web 3.0, it will especially be interesting to see how UX design trends change in this new web era.
A good user experience ensures low cognitive load & minimum learning
(one example being Jakob’s Law) , hence we cannot expect a dramatic shift in how we interact with the web today. However gradual improvements towards making web experience more simplified and de-cluttered is something to look forward to.
Here’s what I feel should be the key focus areas of UX design in Web 3.0 :
1. Simplified Content:
Web 3.0 has features like de-centralized ownership of data — something that is completely new for the masses. Instead of communicating how products deliver value with this new technology, it would be better to encapsulate all the complicated information inside “What’s in it for Me”.
A good example is the homepage of Audius https://audius.co/ which presents its value clearly as a music streaming service without mentioning anywhere that the product is built on blockchain.
2. Modular approach across channels:
Ubiquitous computing is one of the key features of Web 3.0. Having a standard UX across devices and applications will require adopting a modular approach. Designing in siloes won’t help in creating a good 360 degree experience.
Stephen Hay described modular approach in Web 2 as “We’re not designing pages, we’re designing systems of components”. This same ideology can be extrapolated in Web 3.0 as “We’re not designing applications, we're designing a family of touchpoints”
Here’s a book recommendation for understanding modular design: https://shop.bradfrost.com/products/atomic-design-ebook
3. Motion UX:
Web 3.0 will be powered by 5G and even superior generations of connectivity. This will boost the use of animations and motion UX for booting the aesthetics and not only for the utility of directing user’s focus to desired design elements.
Some interesting examples of subtle use of motion ux elements are:
a) ironfish https://ironfish.network/ which uses fun illustrations and clear messaging in its web home page
b) https://www.blocknative.com/gas-estimator The design of gas estimator built by blocknative uses visual and motion elements to effectively communicate prices with their likelihood and probabilities
4. Transparency
With extremely new use cases and product propositions that use decentralized principles, it is imperative that users trust the platforms that they are interacting with. Web 3.0 designs will have to focus on making transactions, currency values and security features data readily available to users without making the content complex or overwhelming.
5. Seamless transitions and storytelling:
Several use cases of Web 3.0 aim at providing an immersive experiences using AR/VR. Transitioning between web, AR and reality should be made as subtle as possible to ensure a true seamless experience for the user especially when industries are aiming at delivering an omnichannel user experience.
How do you envision the evolution of UX in the next generation of web?
