# Lessons learned from Beta—towards public launch By [Portrait](https://paragraph.com/@portrait) · 2023-06-12 --- > We’ve thoroughly researched user behavior during the closed beta, and are now sharing our findings and our path forward—we are improving the ability to truly express yourself, while decreasing the complexity to achieve that. We are dedicated to making Portrait a space where your authentic self can shine. Portrait as you know it, will change— for the better ---------------------------------------------------- We launched Portrait in closed beta so we could learn more about the product’s strengths and weaknesses and gather user feedback to help us improve upon its limitations. Since then, over 6,000 users created personal decentralized pages, and have given us feedback. We’ve seen users find value across professional use cases such as designers, artists, and writers. We have thoroughly iterated and improved Portrait. With over 20,000 users on the waitlist, we are releasing Portrait to the public. In the third quarter of this year, we are set to launch an improved version of Portrait that will be accessible to anyone. This updated release will include a range of product improvements and exciting new additions, such as: * Introducing a subscription model called Portrait Plus—we love our free users and will continue to offer free access to Portrait. Information about pricing will be introduced alongside the launch * An improved and upgradable protocol, launched on mainnet * A web 2.0 user experience through account abstraction—with a decentralized architecture * A new grid design system and simplified components make building more accessible * Portrait AI will allow increased user input and received model improvements * Portrait users will be able to get featured on the explore page—the new homepage * We will suspend [beta.portrait.gg](http://beta.portrait.gg), existing Portraits will be redirected to [portrait.gg](http://portrait.gg) * We are piloting Portrait Teams—startups, DAO’s, and organizations may apply soon * We are piloting a closed partner program—you may apply soon Portrait’s mission is to improve online expressions and digital ownership by allowing anyone to create a visual representation of a web3 identity, allowing meaningful and trustless connections. We believe that transparency and collaboration with our users are crucial to achieving a product that is loved by many. As we release an improved version of Portrait, getting users’ feedback and learning about strengths and weaknesses is essential to us. Learning from the closed beta ----------------------------- **Framework** We’ve created a framework to determine the effectiveness of Portrait. While human feedback is our main technique for improving our product, it can be difficult to come up with improvements beyond the status quo: a Blackberry user wanting a larger screen estate wouldn’t come up with an iPhone as a solution, but rather a Blackberry with a larger screen. We found similar behavior during our feedback collection. Our framework is able to iterate from this type of feedback: 1. Implement robust mechanisms for gathering user feedback and capturing user behavior data. 2. Analyze and prioritize collected data to identify recurring patterns. 3. Conduct in-depth empathic research to understand user aspirations, motivations, and underlying needs. 4. Foster a future-centric mindset to envision product improvements beyond current constraints and limitations. 5. Develop prototypes based on future-centric ideation and validate them with a group of representative power users. **Mitigating survivorship bias** * Recognize the potential for survivorship bias in feedback collection and user behavior data analysis, as active users may not represent the entire user base. * Implement strategies to capture feedback and data from a diverse user sample, including both active and inactive users, to mitigate the bias. * Conduct user segmentation analysis to ensure insights are drawn from a representative sample, considering different user profiles, behaviors, and usage patterns. **Findings** During our research, we have discovered several key findings related to website building, based on user feedback. These findings highlight various challenges and concerns expressed by users. A major issue identified is the lack of coherence between components, particularly when it comes to maintaining a consistent look and feel across different sections of a website, regardless of the amount of content. Here are the key findings we uncovered: 1. Users tend to mix and match components in an arbitrary manner, which often leads to a lack of cohesion in the overall design. While components can be added separately, certain components work best when combined to achieve a visually appealing design. 2. Users sometimes require only a specific part of a component, such as removing text and utilizing only the image. Flexibility in component usage is a desired feature. 3. Users find it challenging to create suitable content for the available components. Writing copy that effectively complements the design remains a struggle for most users. 4. Users express difficulties in finding appropriate media to incorporate into their websites, particularly when it comes to displaying images and videos. 5. Users frequently utilize Portrait as an enhanced version of Linktree, where they can showcase their presence on other platforms or protocols. 6. Users have requested the capability to integrate and present data from other decentralized protocols within their Portraits. 7. The majority of Portrait AI users are satisfied with the final outcome and proceed to publish their pages immediately—however, they would like to do more with AI. 8. Visitors tend to avoid NFT galleries unless the creator of the Portrait is an artist. The preference for NFT galleries is highly dependent on the artistic nature of the Portrait. 9. DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) and organizations have shown interest in building decentralized websites using Portrait as the foundation. By acknowledging these findings, we can address the identified issues and work towards improving the user experience and functionality of Portrait. Product ------- We are introducing a significant improvement to our user interface, aimed at providing users with a more streamlined and efficient experience. Through the implementation of a grid system and simplified content cards, we have made it easier than ever for users to create visually appealing web pages. Portrait's enhanced user interface opens up many possibilities, allowing for the creation of coherent, diverse, and interoperable designs across various use cases. Starting today, users will have access to a range of content cards that can be utilized within the interface. These include text cards, hyperlink cards, image cards, video cards, and widget cards. Each card serves a specific purpose, enabling users to incorporate various types of content seamlessly into their pages. ![Portraits will contain a visually appealing array of cards](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/d1c7f8f3ffb6c6a0964dfc70bea093d8aa78d3a809f187404ed00d526fa99f41.png) Portraits will contain a visually appealing array of cards In order to create a seamless and user-friendly experience, we are utilizing account abstraction, a technique that allows users to interact with a familiar interface without directly interacting with the underlying web3 infrastructure. Web3 technology, although powerful and transformative, introduces a learning curve and additional steps for users unfamiliar with blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. By removing the need for users to handle cryptocurrency wallets, gas fees, and other blockchain-specific operations, we can provide a more accessible and inclusive experience. Users can focus on creating visually appealing web pages and leveraging the benefits without being burdened by the complexities of the underlying technology. By integrating account abstraction, we aim to diversify our user base, making Portrait the first dApp to be focused on both web2 and web3 users. It will be essential for our legacy beta users to migrate to this new environment, as we will not be providing any further updates to the legacy app. By transitioning to the improved interface, users can take full advantage of the enhanced features and functionalities that will empower them to craft better-looking pages effortlessly. At launch, we will suspend [beta.portrait.gg](http://beta.portrait.gg), existing Portraits will be redirected to [portrait.gg](http://portrait.gg). Throughout the development process, valuable insights and feedback from our beta program testers have played a pivotal role in shaping Portrait and influencing the decisions we have made regarding its features and functionality. Their input has been instrumental in uncovering new and innovative use cases for Portrait, ensuring that it aligns with the diverse needs and preferences of our user base. Portrait AI ----------- Portrait AI will be available to all Portrait Plus subscribers, and users owning a Portrait AI NFT. We've improved Portrait AI’s models, allowing off-chain data through user input to be included in the dataset, resulting in more accurate pages and components generated. With 5,888 Portrait AI users, we have seen how our Portrait AI helps users shape their visual identity. We also recognize that, like any technology, these tools come with real risks—so we work hard to ensure safety is built into our system at all levels. We cautiously and gradually release new AI improvements—with substantial safeguards in place—to a steadily broadening group of people and continuously improve based on the lessons we learn. > We don’t use data for selling our services, advertising, or building profiles of people—we only use data to make our models more helpful for people. It is our obligation as a community to keep the open-data landscape safe for all participants and mitigate any misuse. As Portrait maps social activity to blockchain identities, we are constantly aiming to limit abuse and secure the most broadly beneficial outcomes. Crucially, we believe that AI and open data protocols are prone to misuse, as machine learning models can predict behavior and build profiles of people easily. We urge users to disjoint on-chain activities: isolate accounts with financial on-chain activity from accounts with social on-chain activity. Moving forward -------------- Our goal forward is to change the perception and association of Portrait from being seen as a Webflow — Framer — Squarespace for web3. Instead, Portrait is the visual expression layer on top of web3 — where all individuals and communities can showcase their identity, and connect with like-minded others. Our work to create a safe and beneficial product requires a deep understanding of the potential risks and benefits, as well as careful consideration of the impact. To build a safe environment, we release some features with safeguards, with the objective to upgrade those to facilitate the decentralized nature of web3. We recognize that centrally-governed products are not sustainable in web3, nor do we aim to build a centralized product. * Portrait is [hiring](https://portraitgg.notion.site/Careers-at-Portrait-eb3bdcc7e0c94999849f8c8ee3791892). * [twitter.com/portrait\_gg](https://twitter.com/portrait_gg) * [portrait.gg](https://portrait.gg) --- *Originally published on [Portrait](https://paragraph.com/@portrait/lessons-learned-from-beta-towards-public-launch)*