Sub0 2023, a prominent event in the blockchain industry, featured an insightful presentation by Anastasiia Aleksiichuk, a UX designer at Subsocial. Her talk focused on bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3 user experiences using Substrate’s unique capabilities, with a specific emphasis on onboarding billions of users.
Substrate, developed by Parity Technologies, is a flexible software development framework designed for constructing blockchain networks and decentralized applications in the Web3 space. With its modular structure, Substrate simplifies the development process by providing tools and libraries that allow developers to define custom consensus mechanisms, runtime logic, and economic models.
Subsocial, a decentralized social network built on the Polkadot network, was also highlighted during the presentation. This platform allows users to create and share content while maintaining ownership and control over their data.
Anastasiia began her talk by addressing a pressing issue in the Web3 ecosystem – the frustrating user experience. She discussed the burdensome process of registration and interaction with Web3 platforms, which often involves multiple steps, including wallet installations and transaction confirmations. This complexity can be a significant deterrent for users transitioning from Web2.
Another challenge she highlighted was the concept of transaction fees in Web3. Unlike in Web2, where transactions are typically free, users in Web3 need to spend tokens for various activities. This change in dynamic can confuse and deter users at first.
To illustrate a successful Web3 onboarding story, Anastasiia discussed Grill Chat as an example. Grill Chat is a user-friendly Web3 application built on Subsocial that has gained popularity within the Web3 community. It simplifies the user experience by removing the need for users to estimate and confirm token transactions. The application is designed to work smoothly on mobile devices and seamlessly integrates with multiple devices using a single account.
Anastasiia also highlighted the fact that Grill Chat is free for end users, eliminating transaction costs entirely. She shared impressive statistics, indicating over 10,000 visitors and more than 13,000 messages sent in recent months.
Furthermore, Anastasiia emphasized the concept of “chatting on chain,” which is changing the way people communicate. This approach allows users to share NFTs, make donations, and connect their addresses to maintain reputations – all features not readily available in Web2 platforms. Moreover, Grill Chat offers easy integration for other applications with just a few lines of code, allowing one chat or discussion to take place across multiple sites and devices, providing a unified user experience.
Anastasiia also mentioned the concept of “sponsoring a transaction,” wherein users can convert tokens into energy, significantly reducing transaction costs. Additionally, she explained the power of cross-chain interactions, enabling users to connect their identities and assets across different blockchain networks.
As the presentation concluded, Anastasiia introduced an innovative monetization mechanism designed to empower creators and communities. This mechanism incentivizes stakeholders by offering them rewards while also enabling creators to earn based on the tokens allocated to them.
Emphasizing her role as a UX designer focused on visual design, Anastasiia encouraged attendees to reach out to Subsocial’s development team for any technical inquiries, fostering an environment of collaboration and knowledge sharing.
In conclusion, Anastasiia Aleksiichuk’s presentation at Sub0 2023 shed light on the critical topic of bridging Web2 and Web3 user experiences using Substrate’s capabilities. Through examples like Grill Chat and innovative concepts such as sponsoring transactions and cross-chain interactions, Anastasiia showcased how Web3 can offer a significantly improved user experience while also empowering creators and communities.
