Over time, the blockchain has become an integral part of the new and upcoming technologies. Every kind of industry is now looking at ways in which it can adopt blockchain as part of its future growth. The benefits that come with the infrastructure include speed, data transparency, increased functionality, and many others.
Despite these advantages, the design of the infrastructure is still basic. The near future will thus see a lot of improvements in the infrastructure, particularly in the design realm. The blockchain will definitely have a huge impact on the platform that depends on it as it grows. Stakeholders in the industry who want to create their products with the blockchain in mind must think of ways in which they can change their designs in order to find consonance with the blockchain. Among the issues that designers will have to consider in terms of UI/UX design, the following are the most critical:
- The impacts of irreversible actions
- The value of design consistency
- Designing apps for real-world usage
- The productivity and learnability aspects
- How feedback is handled
The Impacts of Irreversible Actions
Errors in the various tech fields are widespread. Designers often tend to make all kinds of errors which they can amend as they continue creating. In the blockchain, however, this issue will have to be relooked because the infrastructure does not allow for errors. The consequences of making mistakes in the blockchain are dire since they are permanent and irreversible. The decentralized ledger is known to be an essential part of the system, and it cannot be altered under any condition once the records have been made.
For this reason, it will be necessary for designers to raise awareness about the permanence of the blockchain. This will be done by including many different confirmation checks, which will remove the chances of error among users. The capacity to do revisions must also be part of future designs that are built for the blockchain. All in all, things like confirmation checks and warnings will be crucial for blockchain apps.
The Value of Design Consistency
Designers will also need to come to terms with the importance of design consistency. Indeed, the issue of consistency is not just limited to particular areas of the blockchain only. One of the critical issues that you will notice from current Digital Securities news is the strong emphasis that stakeholders are putting in ensuring that the limitation of the products is fully understood. Understanding how the system works is the key to increasing its usage and uptake. Designers must thus consider consistency, especially when creating decentralized apps. It is much easier for users to interact with apps that have the same visual language across the platform. This is not only good for the management aspect, but it also saves the time and resources of platform users. The currency trends in the design world tend to be outdated for the blockchain. When designing specifically for the blockchain, the consistency of the icons and scroll bars, among other items, will be crucial.
Designing Apps for Real-world Usage
Another aspect of design that will be affected by the blockchain is the core design of the apps. Besides achieving consistency, designers will have to rethink their design strategy for the future. To this extent, minimalism will have to be part of future apps. The future technology in the blockchain infrastructure will be complicated enough, and the design will have to be simple and straightforward. Already, aspects of minimalism are defining the trend of many applications. There is still much room for growth, though, since issues like correlation and communication will have to be factored in as the blockchain technology grows.
The UI/UX designs of blockchain apps need to be centered around the efficiency of processes. In addition, the satisfaction that the apps give to the user will be a crucial aspect of design. The majority of the population are not familiar with the technology, and making the design as simple as possible will be crucial.
The Productivity and Learnability Aspects
The design is also about considering the market situation of any given application. As things stand, the blockchain is still a niche technology that most people are unaware of. The technology is still in its earliest stages, and it is quite a distance away from being the main technology that most people use. Since technology is actively being developed for real-world usage, though, designers must grapple with the fact that most people are not comfortable with the technology.
The design process must thus be tuned in such a manner that the learning curve of users is considered. The usability aspect of apps will thus often be accompanied by a learnability aspect. This means that some of the most basic features that apps will have will need to be highlighted for everyday users. Since the market is made up of primary users and advanced users, though, sacrificing advanced functionality will not be tolerated. Designers will thus be required to create products that cater to both those who don’t have sufficient knowledge about the blockchain as well as those who are familiar with the platform.
How Feedback is Handled
Finally, the issues of system feedback will have to be addressed by designers. The blockchain currently faces challenges in providing feedback. This is because of the high latency that characterizes the platform. Currently, Bitcoin is only capable of doing a fraction of transactions in a second compared to other popular used forms of digital payment. For this reason, the latency issue will need to be acknowledged by the designer and communicated to the blockchain user. Most users are not aware of the latency issues that come with the platform. This is why good communication is needed to give the user confidence that the platform is working. System feedback is among the most critical aspects of any product that is appropriately designed. For a technology like a blockchain, system feedback will be the key factor in ensuring that there is trust between all parties using the technology.