Tag: User Experience

STEPN Integrates Apple Music into Web3 App

by Blockchain News

Apple and STEPN (with a utility token called GST and a governance token called GMT)  have announced the integration of Apple Music into the STEPN application, marking yet another milestone in the ongoing partnership between traditional tech juggernauts and emerging Web3 platforms. This new feature is the second endeavor following the integration of Apple Pay, which pioneered new standards for Web3 gaming applications.

The integration is more than just an enhanced feature; it underscores the trajectory tech circles are embracing. This alliance between a conventional tech behemoth like Apple and a Web3 application like STEPN, signifies the growing acknowledgment and assimilation of decentralized technologies in daily life. It’s a step towards bridging the gap between the Web2 and Web3 realms, thereby facilitating a seamless transition and bolstering user trust in the decentralized sphere.

Yawn Rong, Co-Founder of Find Satoshi Lab (FSL), emphasized the core objective of STEPN to augment user interaction, making it as engaging and user-centric as possible. According to Rong, music is a vital aspect of daily routines and by incorporating Apple Music, users can now enrich their STEPN experience with their preferred music, indicating a deeper integration between daily life and the STEPN ecosystem. This move is aimed at providing a more immersive user experience, thus tightening the nexus between everyday activities and the STEPN platform.

Jerry Huang, another Co-Founder of Find Satoshi Lab (FSL), expressed enthusiasm about the integration, viewing it as a precursor to a future where Web2 and Web3 not only coexist but flourish together. This joint initiative, as per Huang, acts as a beacon hinting at an impending era of proliferating collaborations between traditional and decentralized tech platforms. The sentiment is echoed by the STEPN team who are continually striving to roll out new features and forge partnerships to further enrich the app’s offerings.

As STEPN celebrates this significant integration, the journey doesn’t halt here. The team is in relentless pursuit of new features and alliances to further enhance the application. While this update allows for an enriched musical experience within the app, it’s only a glimpse of what’s on the horizon for STEPN and its community. Moreover, with products like MOOAR (NFT launchpad and marketplace) and DOOAR (DEX) under Find Satoshi Lab’s belt, along with the upcoming web3 social game, Gas Hero, the future appears promising for more integrative and user-centric offerings.

Image source: Shutterstock

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Multiple DeFi projects unveil, plan new user interface upgrades

by Cointelegraph

Many of the most popular decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols are getting a frontend makeover, but will the new looks and sleeker interfaces bring widespread adoption? 

Critics have long held that the barrier to entry for DeFi is significant, both for the amount of knowledge required to participate as well for oftentimes clunky interfaces. However, a spate of projects including Sushiswap, Curve, Yearn.finance, BadgerDAO, and Synthetix have recently rolled out or are planning new frontend releases, one which may make interacting with the protocols easier.

The new looks are occasionally coinciding with significant technical developments. Synthetix’s successful launch on layer-2 led to a sundowning of the popular Mintr app in favor of a new “Staking” frontend, and Yearn’s once-simplistic UI was overhauled with some distinct stylistic touches that coincided with the launch of v2 vaults.

Yearn also commissioned a slick promotional video to celebrate the launch:

According to 0xMaki, a core contributor at Sushiswap, the promotional and UI efforts are a sign of healthy growth. 

“I think it doesn’t matter at the beginning but the more your project becomes serious and you want to mature,” he said. “It should be the focus #1 because users who aren’t power users are never going to join our ecosystem otherwise.”

0xMaki said that Sushiswap is beginning to focus on marketing in tandem with development, with a 2021 roadmap that includes an effort on original content from a dedicated design team, as well as user education initiatives.

“We just hired 4 new core devs and are about to add for the first time contributors in the comms/ops/design in a fulltime manner,” he said. “It will exciting to see how they can perform when given this type of responsibilities.”

But Brian Flynn of RabbitHole, a DeFi participaction incentivization platform, isn’t convinced a new lick of pant on the frontend will be enough to generate a significant uptick in new users.

“Many would say having a great UI/UX would help adoption, but the reality is that anyone can create an interface for underlying smart contracts in DeFi,” he said. “Solving scalability is more important for the adoption of DeFi rather than having good design.”

Moreover, he implied marketing may not create real, ‘sticky’ users who routinely leverage a protocol over an extended period of time.

“Marketing materials are generally low cost to produce and can generate a ton of hype & engagement. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, just an observation.”

0xMaki agrees that the rise in users from new UIs will ultimately pale in comparison to more important events, such as integrations with traditional finance rails. But until scalability and integrations come more clearly into the picture, he recommends a balanced and tempered approach to user experience and marketing:

“It is fun, not over done (no need to post daily, yo), good marketing is meaningful and educative. This is just how I see it bringing hype + visuals from time to time :)”