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1. Lowering the bar to entry

New users need to learn the meaning of using decentralized systems, processes, and their part in securing this system. The designer must make this education process and experiences easy to bear and appealing. To do so, the designers must become early adopters of this technology, constantly learning and applying this knowledge in their work. Designers can use the principle of emergence, which states that complex systems are built from simpler components, to create mental models of decentralized systems. This approach can break down the system into manageable parts, making it less intimidating for new users. Designers looking over onboarding interaction patterns can also help identify areas where the system may be too complex, allowing for tailored educational experiences.

 

 

2. Account recovery

Currently, in a truly decentralized fashion (e.g., non-custodial wallets), no one can access the account if the recovery phrase is lost. There is a need to build trusted systems in which the user feels empowered and confident in holding the responsibility of safekeeping their data. There are two parts to this notion: user understanding of the value coming from said ownership and creating interaction patterns and technologies that forgive user mistakes without the need of 3rd party custodianship. Humans make decisions rationally and weigh the costs and benefits of a particular choice to eventually deal with the consequences of following one route or another. It is often about how much we are willing to sacrifice to achieve something, considering our values, emotions, context, and backgrounds. The winning pattern will contain the following elements: evoke trust, foster ownership, embrace accessibility and make the users feel safe.

 

There have been attempts to solve this problem, such as social recovery, oracles, and mixed mediums (e.g., a combination of passwords, biometrics, and physical key). Still, all the solutions have yet to tick all the boxes.

 

 

3. Fostering P2P trust

Designing for SSI requires a strong focus on building trust. One of the primary concerns for users is ensuring the safety and security of their data. At the same time, according to the nCipher Security research 2019 survey, banks are the most trusted providers in protecting data; it is worth mentioning that this most trusted solution comes with 52% backing of survey participants. This notion presents a significant opportunity for designers to develop interactions and systems that can build trust and empower users to take control of their data and make peer-to-peer connections (without a custodian overseeing their interaction) look and feel familiar and secure. Which calls for more exploration of user points of interactions and journeys, applying usability principles and trust frameworks, and making the flows fool-proof.

 

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4. Interoperability

Another exciting aspect of user experience challenges in a decentralized ecosystem is design interoperability. Currently, how we experience credentials is linked to the experience of our wallet. This experience leads to a situation where two users mutually share VCs, and both see the information displayed differently.

 

This consistency of shared credential experience may seem like a minor design challenge. However, it becomes a problem when issuers like companies or governments get involved in how they experience VCs.

 

Let's think about government-issued documents, such as passports. Generally, passports are carefully designed to carry cultural heritage and represent one's country with dignity. The design is intentional, as passports are serious documents, and the design should reflect such.

 

Imagine a scenario where a government issued this carefully crafted credential to a holder that uses a "Hello Kitty" Wallet that adds a filter of cats and hearts to all credentials. In the non-custodial world, there is no way for the government to prevent this from happening.