Let’s be for real: learning crypto, NFTs, and everything in between is a total whirlwind. It’s complicated to understand, there’s too much information online, and once you get over the confusion of a 12-word seed phrase wallet, knowing exactly where to start your web3 journey becomes another hurdle.

Coming out of one of the top incubator programmes for tech Founders in Europe, I spent weeks doing in-depth research (including ~100 customer development research) and 10+ hours of market research to come up with the best possible solution for the onboarding problem in web3.

Here are some data I found:

• Those with high-conviction to learn about web3 have 2 major motivations: 1) they need to learn about it for their job or 2) they believe that it can financially empower them

• Information about web3 is too fragmented (often, platforms that offer education are exchanges, protocols, or markets who are educating their users on how to use their product and the rest are mostly influencers shilling scams)

• There’s an unclear pathway that leads to multiple directions (some only onboard artists, others focus on developers, and the rest focus on niche communities like women or students/graduates)

• 85% of web3 natives said they would not recommend the way they learned web3 and if there was an alternative option that was quicker, easier, and faster they’d opt for that method instead

I quickly started to compile the feedback I received from customer development and concluded that the reason why no one has gotten the onboarding process to web3 right yet is because… there is no one way of getting people to learn and engage with the space. There are multiple ways. As individuals, we all come from different backgrounds, socioeconomic status, we have different interests and needs therefore by default, we each have different motivations to learn about web3. Learning it shouldn’t be linear.

With the recent news of the PROOF of Conference cancellation because there wasn’t enough interest + the constant media coverage of cryptocurrency plummeting lower than Satan’s ass, there’s the immediate issue of web3 not being taken seriously enough. Rugs, court cases, and with investors HODLing onto their pockets a little tighter than before, the negative connotations when people hear “web3” seems to far outweigh its actual potential.

More than ever before, as a web3 native, chats about onboarding seem to permeate every conversation. There’s this unbearable assumption that crypto-bullish people and those into NFTs just sit around talking about prices all day and are hardcore advocates for Vitalik, but the reality is that so many of us are constantly disappointed by the state of the space (by “us” I mean those who have bigger ambitions for blockchain technology).

The are major issues that exist in web3 that make it difficult for us to make this space more lucrative, enjoyable, safe, understandable and therefore makes the onboarding process whack:

Crypto jargon can be very overwhelming, and a newbie entering Discord servers will almost immediately be met with either ‘copy pastas’ or at least 20 different abbreviated words. The balance of welcoming newcomers while cultivating an environment for loyal community members is not an easy feat. But I do believe it’s necessary.

There are too many projects who think creating uTiLitY means distributing shitcoins to the ecosystem or providing a way to burn their NFTs. Project leaders who emphasise on tokenomics with no real value create superficial usability in a pre-mature space. They use this as "hype" tactics or part of their marketing, but all it's really doing is breeding more "pumpers and dumpers", driving their floor prices down and giving them a bad reputation.

“Same founders, same builders, nothing is changing” + there are NFT projects with mob mentalities within their “community” because it’s a direct reflection of their poor leadership. Most people, even those who aren’t new to web3 don’t feel welcome in their space(s). This is one of the larger issues in Solana especially. Because there are few project founders with strong principles, values, and ideologies, members aren’t actually loyal to them, they’re loyal to the price of their NFTs. So when we do do see a founder with leadership skills and progressive project operations and market strategies, the extreme happens. People start to praise these leaders to the point where anything or everything they say is either treated as “alpha” or gospel. In the web3 world, I guess they’re the same thing.

Mass media coverage of web3 only shows us when crypto is down and how much Bored Apes are being flipped for on Opensea. Whenever I go on Instagram, I see NFT pages post about the latest web2 brand joining the Metaverse or “new NFT projects” with unknown names behind the team, only for you to check Twitter and they have “influencer” in their bios. When the media constantly attaches price to the narrative of web3, most people expect to join the space just to flip NFTs or earn money via airdrops and tokens. Community, art, and the power of blockchain technology are not the incentives; they are afterthoughts.

When wallet security and rugs/scams are things you only learn once you’ve already got crypto and NFTs in your wallet, as opposed to learning about them before your onboarding process, there is an overwhelming pressure for more thorough vetting teams and projects i.e. Rad Rugs to detect when rugs are going to happen before they do. There’s also an onus on the web3 user to be responsible for their own wallets and to figure out how to start their NFT journey on their own. That’s why platforms like YORD is super important!

While mass media is too busy selling the sexy, builders and founders who have built practical and life-changing use cases for blockchain technology fail to be highlighted. I’ve always said that we have a narrow sight of what web3 could be because we’re too busy focusing on its usability in the West; worlds where we already have extensive privileges in the way live (smart cities, access to multiple devices, etc.), whereas there are communities in developing countries whose lives could drastically change if we were to apply blockchain tech to their way of livelihoods. Please check out Agriledger and Plotpeer for context.

Royalties was once a huge incentive for creators and artists to enter web3 because it gave them ownership over their work, and then some. But the move towards 0% royalties has flipped web3’s branding of “ownership is the new drip” (lol jk, that’s not web3’s brand, that’s Neon Money Club).

Different blockchain cultures attract different types of people. For instance, because the price of ETH is higher, it often appeals to genuine collectors and art enthusiasts. In contrast, SOL's lower entry point can result in vastly different expectations for projects and delivery. This is not to say that one chain is less susceptible to BS, but more to illustrate how difficult it can be for people to understand the space.

Given the challenges present in the web3 arena, it is not uncommon to witness a shift from bullish to bearish sentiment. This shift can sometimes result in those individuals propagating a negative narrative surrounding crypto and NFTs. On my Twitter TL, at least once a fortnight, I see one or two really active individuals who passionately advocate for web3 announce they’re leaving the space for good. They share that it’s either because:

1. They can no longer recover from their crypto or NFTs being stolen or

2. They’re so frustrated with where web3 is going that they no longer see the benefits of being part of the ride.

Market conditions mostly determine the way people approach or engage in web3. Bear markets expose inherently faulty business models and forces people to confront their intentions/principles when everything is on the line. When people view this space solely as a cash-grabbing opportunity, it can lead to cracks in the system. If the market dips and builders lose interest, we may see problems arise. Rather than advocating for the innovation of blockchain technology, many are instead focused on money, hype, and the allure of a certain lifestyle.

There’s also the issue that this space is not always a safe or welcoming one. Not only is there a problem with accessibility for Black and people of colour, but the web3 world is also very ableist and sexist. Of course, this is not exclusive to the web3 community; bigotry has existed throughout web1 to web2. But when there are constant jokes surrounding disabilities/slurs on Twitter replies and Discord servers being very white-male centric, it doesn’t help with user retention. Accepting a culture with a very high tolerance for this behavior means we are all part of the problem.

How can we keep talking about improving the onboarding process to web3 when we can’t even get people to stay in it?

Most platforms and teams who have explored solutions to the onboarding problem in web3 will mention these as the following factors that contribute to a better, smoother, and simpler way of onboarding:

1. Visibility (how quickly and easy can the average person find this onboarding platform/tool?)

2. Good UI and UX

3. Easy, directed steps to using tools (e.g. step-by-step guide on buying cryptocurrency)

4. Simple, understandable language (see, Reddit’s strategy in onboarding 3M users)

5. Better integration (users are able to access dApps, exchanges, etc. in one place)

Observing the general behaviour of users in web3, I believe that the most effective onboarding process is the one that encompasses visual walkthroughs rather than wordy step-by-step instructions, informative courses on wallet security and best practices for keeping digital assets safe, and one that highlights real-life usability (tailored to Person A’s interests, background, lifestyle, etc.) so they can can easily understand blockchain’s applicability in their own lives. The best process will provide a way for them to immediately apply their gained knowledge towards actionable steps so any given moment of their onboarding process is seamless, leaving less % for drop offs.

But is this sexy enough? Probably not[hing].

To make web3 more appealing to the masses, there needs to be a shift in language. Alex Connolly, Co-founder and CTO of Immutable, believes that the best onboarding process is the one that people don’t even realize they’re going through.

Changing the narrative around crypto and NFTs will be critical for incentivising people to learn more about web3. If we present this space as the next phase of the Internet, offering technology that can improve our online experiences as consumers and human beings, we will likely have better retention and onboarding experiences.

There are currently many discussions taking place about gaming as perhaps the best way to get people into web3. While I don't necessarily think it is the most attractive way to onboard (not everyone interested in web3 is a gamer and overall incentives are unclear), I do see it as a massively powerful tool for achieving mass adoption.

During this bear market, some people may give up on the utopian ideals of web3. However, others will find ways to innovate, pivot, and build incredible startups to help with the advancement of this space. We’ve seen from recent regulations and policies implemented by companies regarding crypto that we’re quite far away from mass adoption. From my time at the incubator programme and getting to know more about the startup and VC culture, I’ve noticed more and more people build products for web3 natives with little regard to how they can assist and support with onboarding new people. Sometimes that’s okay, because it’s not necessarily everyone’s responsibility to do that. But if very few people are focused on educating and onboarding, then we’re all essentially building products in a silo. This means many web3 businesses won’t be able to scale if there are no funnels for new customers to come in.

As someone who has written an ebook to help onboard newbies into NFTs, I’m so passionate about the importance of us getting the onboarding process right. I’ve continued to work on the idea I was building at the incubator programme with future plans to generate more customer development to really understand the market for web3 and the sentiments behind it. Admittingly, finding a CTO who sees web3 education as important as I do to help me build it is proving a gargantuan task. So in the meantime, I’m using the recent rebrand of my art business (that I grew from 0 to 4-figures in less than 6 months) as the vehicle for the sexiest, most valid, onboarding process ever. 🤪

I have a hunch that those who can combine web3 principles with pre-existing web2 models will come closest to realizing Connolly's statement that the best onboarding is the one that doesn't feel like an onboarding. Since everyone likes to talk about community, I'm starting by providing an ideology rooted in culture and faith while using conceptual art as the medium that can physically sit in people's modern homes. As an artist, this is what I envision as interactive ownership. The plan is to slowly cultivate and build web3 tools around the brand instead of building a brand for web3. This way, the focus is on the people who I believe are currently best served by blockchain technology: the creators/artists and those who are underserved. ✌🏾