Crypto apps have to get simpler and more accessible if the space is going to succeed and reach mainstream audiences.

A smart friend just wrote a thoughtful take on the latest development in the tipping meta. What I have been able to understand of it is that it rewards “positive” actions on the Farcaster protocol. When you write or build something people like and engage with, you earn it. Then something something fan tokens and something something else.

I’m not saying it’s not documented somewhere. I’ve seen the documentation. I tried to read it. I didn’t try THAT hard though. That’s my point. As a result, I do what I do on Farcaster. Periodically, I claim whatever little of this token I’ve earned and I dump it. Does the system work if most of us are too lazy to figure it all out? I hope it does, but I fear it won’t. If my fuller participation is necessary for the success of the system, what is required of me and the benefits need to be clearer.

My point is this, too many builders seem to expect or assume that users of their products will go to the very bottom of the rabbit hole to find out how everything works and make it a full time job to keep up with the workings. You know who IS willing to do this? The farmers. The people trying to game the system and grind out a narrow gain across a bunch of fake wallets. Those are the incentives.

Clearly, it’s not all apps. Things like Zora, Moshicam and Warpcast, for instance, manage to provide appeal at many levels. If you want to just share some art or a photo snapshot or just engage with friends, you can do that on these apps. The initial use case at least is clear and potentially attractive enough to hook you. Then you can graduate to learning about what they have to offer at a deeper level. Or not and you can just enjoy it in the shallow end. These experiences seem as if they are a clear minority in the crypto space.

I've built lots of software products and I have seen a lack of willingness to read anything beyond a headline on a product the person in question was interested in and actually purchased. If you want your product to work for anyone beyond the MOST rabid of fans, everything has to be simpler and more accessible. Everything. If the space is going to scale and get wider adoption, everything has to be simpler. That’s what I want for all of us.