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Web3 gaming is rapidly gaining traction worldwide, but the space still faces obstacles to mainstream adoption. One of the biggest challenges is the onboarding process, which can be confusing, time-consuming, and overwhelming, especially for those unfamiliar with blockchain. The user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) are critical elements of a successful onboarding process.
If you’ve been following our Twitter account, we’ve recently tweeted a nice thread with a couple of solutions.
Let’s now take a closer look at some of the main problems with Web3 user onboarding:
- Often requires previous experience with Web3/blockchain.
- Requires users to create their crypto wallets (which can be overwhelming).
- Confusing — In the case of cross-chain interoperability, users encounter options that are confusing.
- Scary — New users get scared of doing something wrong when their Web3 wallets start popping up messages.
- Time-consuming — Creating a new wallet and installing its browser extension is a lot more time-consuming. A lot of new users are not willing to invest more than a couple of seconds.
- Not always user-friendly— Web3 was initially driven by tech-savvy developers whose thinking processes look a lot different than those of average individuals.
- Not suited for mass-market adoption — Considering all of the above-listed problems, current Web3 user onboarding needs to improve before crypto can expect mainstream adoption.
To address these challenges, we need an onboarding process that is simple, safe and works seamlessly across any game and device — mobile, console, or desktop. The key is to make onboarding invisible, so users can focus on enjoying the game rather than struggling with complex processes. But until now, security and friction have been trade-offs in Web3 gaming, making it difficult to deliver a smooth user experience.
Truth be told, we’ve been seeing some small improvements, however, most web3 games currently available still don’t have a user-friendly onboarding.
Here are some ideas to make your player onboarding nice and sweet:
- Provide signup/login options like social media logins and email. Most users have experience with Web2 applications and are familiar with these options. Your players won’t have to remember a private key to play the game and can log in using their existing email or social accounts. This is possible with account abstraction.
- Embed a wallet into your game. Creating a new wallet and installing its browser extension can be time-consuming and confusing, especially for new users. Additionally, most wallets are designed for decentralized finance (DeFi) and do not account for Web3 gaming-specific needs, making them awkward for players to use. An embed wallet will allow players to log in to their wallets directly from the game, eliminating the need to download a browser extension and sign into a separate application.
- Finally, it is important to make buying, renting, and viewing digital assets easy. In some applications, users may have to buy an NFT to get access, which can be a complete break in the flow for those not versed in crypto. Most solutions direct users to an external site to buy an NFT, adding a major hurdle to the onboarding process. Instead, simplify the process and consider integrating the buying process directly into your game.
In conclusion, Web3 gaming has tremendous potential to disrupt the gaming industry, but having a user-friendly onboarding is critical to its success.
By integrating these simple but familiar options into your games, like socials and email signup/login, and embedded wallets, and simplifying the process of buying, renting, and viewing digital collectibles, you can create a more seamless user experience and encourage mainstream adoption of Web3 gaming.