The Key to Web3 Development: Abstracting User Experience

The early stage of Web3 mainly focuses on innovation. Various independent blockchains are launched based on different priorities, including speed, security, composability, and community ownership. However, this wave of innovation has led to fragmentation of the ecosystem, a lack of interoperability, inconsistent tools, and isolation of assets and liquidity.

Although Web3 has solved many technical challenges, user experience remains a major issue. The experience of using decentralized applications is akin to browsing the internet in the 1990s. For the average user, dealing with concepts such as blockchain, wallets, cross-chain bridges, Gas fees, protocols, and signatures is still very complex and confusing. These are not just minor issues, but significant obstacles to the widespread adoption of Web3.

With the increasing institutional recognition, the launch of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, and the advancement of related regulatory frameworks, the limitations on the proliferation of cryptocurrencies are no longer infrastructure but usability. Improving user experience has become the key to the mass adoption of Web3.

Three Stages of User Experience Abstraction

User experience abstraction is a process that systematically hides the underlying complexity of blockchain interactions from the end user. It is not just about simplifying operations, but also about designing a sufficiently intelligent system that can manage complexity on behalf of the user. This process can be divided into three stages:

Phase 1: Initial User Experience Improvements

At this stage, developers focus on reducing friction in existing Web3 models. Users still need to understand the concepts of networks, wallets, and assets, but the interface will be streamlined to reduce context switching. For example, some decentralized exchanges have already integrated cross-chain bridge protocols directly into their user interfaces, allowing users to transfer assets across chains without leaving the platform.

Some wallets are expanding their native ecosystems, offering one-stop multi-link integration services. Some yield platforms aggregate cross-network investment opportunities, allowing users to compare and deploy funds on a unified dashboard.

Despite these advancements, users still need to track the location of their assets, manage Gas tokens across different chains, and understand the specifics of particular networks. This level of abstraction has improved the interface but has not fundamentally changed the user experience.

Phase Two: Execution Layer Abstraction

At this stage, the complexity of Web3 interactions begins to shift from the interface to the execution layer. Users no longer need to understand or coordinate multi-step, cross-chain workflows; they simply need to define the desired actions, and the rest is handled by the application.

This is thanks to some new technologies, such as smart contracts or third-party relayers that cover relevant costs through sponsorship or dynamic fee mechanisms. From the user's perspective, transactions can proceed smoothly without the need to manually top up unfamiliar on-chain wallets.

The solver network has introduced an intent-based architecture, further enhancing this advantage. Users only need to express a goal (such as exchanging tokens or bridging assets), and then competing solvers determine the most efficient execution path.

The new token standard is also simplifying the interoperability of cross-chain tokens, reducing the risks of liquidity fragmentation and decoupling.

Although these developments have significantly reduced the complexity of workflows, users are still aware that they are using a blockchain system. They still need to sign transactions, manage wallets, and understand that certain operations may fail due to underlying network issues.

Stage Three: Complete Concept Abstraction

At this highest level of abstraction, users will not need to think about blockchain at all. The concepts of chain, Gas, and wallet will no longer exist. The experience will be as simple as Web2 – user actions, delivered results.

This is an emerging field of super wallets and intent-driven agents. Some platforms provide smart wallet infrastructure that abstracts private key management, supports Web2-style social logins, and aggregates user balances across chains.

A highly promising innovation is the chain signature of a certain protocol, which allows users to sign transactions across multiple blockchains through a single account. This architecture employs multi-party computation (MPC) technology, eliminating the need for developers to redeploy contracts on different chains or build signature logic specific to a particular chain.

Some decentralized finance artificial intelligence platforms provide groundbreaking interactive interfaces, allowing users to express their goals in natural language, while the solver executes the necessary steps in the background. These systems utilize delegated wallets and session keys, eliminating the need for repeated transaction approvals.

Combining the technology stack mentioned in the first two stages, these smart wallets and AI-supported applications achieve the highest level of user experience abstraction to date.

However, even at this level, abstraction is not absolute. If a smart wallet does not support a specific blockchain, the experience may quickly deteriorate. AI-supported platforms may still require users to have some understanding of relevant financial terminology. Furthermore, developers and protocols often optimize for specific ecosystems, which can create subtle barriers even in interfaces that are not related to blockchain.

The Importance of User Experience Abstraction

Abstraction is a structural necessity for the scalability of cryptocurrencies. The next wave of users will not learn to use blockchain. They expect to use applications, and these applications must be smart enough to manage complexity in an invisible, secure, and reliable manner.

Abstraction has facilitated this transformation by breaking down the barriers between protocols and chains, eliminating the cumbersome calculations of managing Gas and keys, and aligning the cryptocurrency user experience with the expectations set by modern Web2 products. Just as TCP/IP and HTTP contributed to the widespread adoption of the internet, user experience abstraction is an application-level requirement for achieving the mass adoption of Web3.

Importantly, abstraction is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Experienced cryptocurrency users may still value detailed control and composability, while newcomers might prefer simplicity. Supporting multi-level abstraction ensures that Web3 can inclusively scale without alienating any side.

Future Outlook

The future of Web3 is chainless. However, achieving this goal requires not only technological breakthroughs but also a completely new way of thinking — developers' design objectives focus on outcomes rather than just the protocols; wallets will become their agents; user experience will no longer be an afterthought but the foundation of the design.

With the right abstract concepts, users will no longer need to understand blockchain to use it. They just need to take action, and decentralized applications will deliver results. This seamless user experience will be a key driver for the mass adoption of Web3.