User acceptance in decentralized blockchain-based applications – A parallel study of user acceptance theory and design practice

Abstract

Introduction With the development of blockchain technology, more and more digital platforms are organized by decentralized mechanisms. Unlike the hierarchical structure and opaqueness of centralized application, end users of decentralized applications have data ownership and control, which has the potential to positively impact the user experience. Take content creation platforms as example, Medium for web2 and Mirror for web3. Users can create content such as media articles, diaries, project proposals, literary works on these two applications.

However, the user experience of decentralized applications differs from traditional applications and the design process is still rarely discussed in industry and academia. The thesis aims at exploring the factors that support the user acceptance of new technology in the context of blockchain, as well as to review the design process in the early stage development that can to improve the user acceptance.

Methods This thesis adopts a parallel study approach, combining a realm of theory and realm of practice (Owen, 1998). In the realm of theory, I reviewed user experience models. In the realm of practice, I reflected on my own practice working at with a startup company “Ecoutopia”, where I am the founder and design leader.

Results At the end of the thesis, I conducted a comprehensive cross-analysis combining theory and practice and identified five user acceptance factors, Trust (T), Perceived Usefulness (U), Perceived Ease of Use (E), Attitude Toward Using (A) and Behavioral Intention (BI), to be integrated in the early stages of a blockchain application design process. This research promotes the development of the web3 in user experience design and claims user acceptance as a core consideration in the early stages of a design process.