The Evolution of Web3 User Experience: From Complex to Simple

The early stage of Web3 focuses on innovation. Various independent blockchains have been launched successively, prioritizing different aspects such as speed, security, composability, and community ownership. However, this wave of innovation has also led to fragmentation of the ecosystem, a lack of interoperability, non-unified tools, and isolation of assets and liquidity.

Although Web3 has solved many technical challenges, user experience remains a significant hurdle. The experience of using decentralized applications is as complex as browsing the internet in the 90s. For the average user, concepts like blockchain, wallets, cross-chain bridges, Gas fees, protocols, and signatures are still obscure and difficult to understand. These are not just minor issues, but major barriers to the widespread adoption of Web3.

With the increasing institutional recognition, the listing of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, and the advancement of related regulatory frameworks, the limitation on the popularization of cryptocurrencies is no longer infrastructure, but usability. To drive the large-scale adoption of Web3, we need to systematically simplify the user experience and hide the underlying complexity. This process can be divided into three stages:

Phase One: Surface Optimization

At this stage, developers focus on reducing operational 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 scene switching. For example, some decentralized exchanges have directly integrated cross-chain bridges into their interfaces, allowing users to complete asset cross-chain transfers without leaving the platform.

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

Despite these advancements, users still need to track asset locations, manage Gas tokens across different chains, and understand the specifics of particular networks. While this level of optimization has improved the interface, it 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 processes; they simply define the desired actions, and the application handles the rest.

This is thanks to some new technologies, such as ERC-4337 and Gas abstraction, which eliminate the need for users to hold native Gas tokens on each interacting chain. Smart contracts or third-party relayers bear the associated costs through sponsorship or dynamic fee mechanisms. Users can complete transactions smoothly without needing to manually top up for unfamiliar chains.

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

The new token standards have also played a key role. Some solutions simplify the interoperability of cross-chain tokens through burn and mint mechanisms, reducing liquidity fragmentation and decoupling risks.

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

Phase Three: Complete Concept Abstraction

This is the highest level of abstraction in user experience, where users do not need to consider the blockchain at all. At this level, the concepts of chains, Gas, and wallets will no longer exist. The experience will reach the simplicity of Web2 - user actions, result delivery.

This is an emerging field of smart wallets and intent-driven agents. Some platforms offer smart wallet infrastructure that abstracts private key management, supports Web2-like social logins, and aggregates user balances across chains. Certain wallets have already embodied this approach by integrating gasless transactions and multi-chain support into an easy-to-use interface.

A promising innovation is chain signatures, which allow users to sign transactions across multiple blockchains using a single account. This architecture employs multi-party computation technology, eliminating the need for developers to redeploy contracts on different chains or build signature logic specific to a particular chain.

Some decentralized finance AI platforms offer innovative interactive interfaces, allowing users to express their goals in natural language, such as "stake my USDC to earn SOL rewards," which are then executed by solvers 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 previous two stages, these smart wallets and AI-supported applications achieve the highest level of user experience abstraction currently available. However, even at this level, abstraction is not absolute. If a smart wallet does not support a specific blockchain, the user experience can quickly deteriorate. AI-supported platforms may still require users to understand relevant financial terminology. Furthermore, developers and protocols often optimize for specific ecosystems, which can create subtle barriers in interfaces that seem unrelated to blockchain.

To overcome these limitations, developers must adopt a new mindset—prioritizing outcomes over infrastructure when designing experiences, and focusing on building universality rather than ecosystem lock-in.

Why is User Experience Abstraction the Future of Web3?

Abstraction is a structural necessity for achieving scalability in cryptocurrency. The next wave of users will not actively learn to use blockchain. They expect the applications they use to smartly manage complexity, operating in an invisible, secure, and reliable manner.

Abstraction has facilitated this transformation by breaking down the barriers between protocols and chains, eliminating the cumbersome computations 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 facilitated the mass adoption of the internet, user experience abstraction is an application-level requirement for achieving large-scale adoption of Web3.

It is worth noting that abstraction is not one-size-fits-all. Experienced cryptocurrency users may still value detailed control and composability, while newcomers may prefer a streamlined interface. Supporting multi-layered abstraction ensures that Web3 can inclusively scale without alienating either party.

Future Outlook

The future of Web3 is chainless. Achieving this goal requires not only technological breakthroughs but also a completely new way of thinking—developers should design with outcomes in mind, rather than just focusing on protocols; wallets will become user agents; user experience will no longer be an afterthought but the foundation.

With the right abstraction, users will no longer need to understand blockchain to use decentralized applications. They just need to express their intent, and the application will deliver results. This seamless experience will be key to the mass adoption of Web3.