🪙 Crypto — Trust denied, belief required
“Trustless” systems still need faith.
🧠UX Interpretation: Ideology as interface
Crypto was introduced as a solution to distrust. No banks. No central authority. No gatekeepers. Code would replace institutions, and mathematics would replace promises.
The language sounded clean. “Trustless.” “Decentralised.” “Immutable.” Yet the experience never matched the slogan. Wallets could be lost. Exchanges could collapse. Keys could vanish forever. The system removed familiar intermediaries and replaced them with technical risk most users barely understood.
🎯 Theme: Complexity as boundary
Crypto’s UX performs two roles at once. It invites participation and signals exclusivity. The jargon filters the audience. Volatility fuels attention. Early adopters are rewarded not just with money, but with belonging.
Price swings become narrative events. Fear and greed are not side effects. They are engagement mechanics. The interface tells users they are escaping control, while constantly checking prices, feeds, and charts for reassurance.
đź’ˇ UX Takeaways
- Removing authority does not remove dependence.
- Technical opacity creates new hierarchies.
- Volatility drives engagement as effectively as delight.
- Ideology can function as a retention tool.
- “Trustless” still requires belief in something.
đź“Ž Footnote
Crypto does not eliminate trust. It relocates it. From governments and banks to code, founders, exchanges, and collective sentiment. The promise was freedom from institutions. The outcome was a new class of them.