Aragon App — DAO Creation Onboarding Redesign
Aragon App — DAO Creation Onboarding Redesign
Aragon App — DAO Creation Onboarding Redesign
Aragon SaaS DAO tool · Web App (Mobile-first) · Web3 / Blockchain · Q2–Q3 2022
Aragon SaaS DAO tool · Web App (Mobile-first) · Web3 / Blockchain · Q2–Q3 2022
Aragon SaaS DAO tool · Web App (Mobile-first) · Web3 / Blockchain · Q2–Q3 2022
Redesigned the DAO creation onboarding for Aragon — fixing a critical final-step failure that was silently killing completions, and growing task success rate by 22% in the first 90 days.
Redesigned the DAO creation onboarding for Aragon — fixing a critical final-step failure that was silently killing completions, and growing task success rate by 22% in the first 90 days.
Redesigned the DAO creation onboarding for Aragon — fixing a critical final-step failure that was silently killing completions, and growing task success rate by 22% in the first 90 days.
Context
Context
Governance for Everyone. If You Can Figure It Out.
Governance for Everyone. If You Can Figure It Out.
Governance for Everyone. If You Can Figure It Out.
Aragon is one of the leading platforms for creating and managing DAOs — Decentralised Autonomous Organisations — enabling on-chain governance for communities and protocols worldwide. The ambition: make DAO tooling so intuitive that anyone could use it, regardless of blockchain literacy.
Ahead of the Beta launch in Q4 2022, we needed to validate whether the new onboarding flow actually worked with real users. I joined as Senior Product Designer, responsible for usability testing, synthesising findings, defining the solution, and owning the handoff through to implementation.
Aragon is one of the leading platforms for creating and managing DAOs — Decentralised Autonomous Organisations — enabling on-chain governance for communities and protocols worldwide. The ambition: make DAO tooling so intuitive that anyone could use it, regardless of blockchain literacy.
Ahead of the Beta launch in Q4 2022, we needed to validate whether the new onboarding flow actually worked with real users. I joined as Senior Product Designer, responsible for usability testing, synthesising findings, defining the solution, and owning the handoff through to implementation.
Aragon is one of the leading platforms for creating and managing DAOs — Decentralised Autonomous Organisations — enabling on-chain governance for communities and protocols worldwide. The ambition: make DAO tooling so intuitive that anyone could use it, regardless of blockchain literacy.
Ahead of the Beta launch in Q4 2022, we needed to validate whether the new onboarding flow actually worked with real users. I joined as Senior Product Designer, responsible for usability testing, synthesising findings, defining the solution, and owning the handoff through to implementation.
Role
Senior Product Designer
Senior Product Designer
Senior Product Designer
Product Discovery
Interface design & Prototyping
Interaction Design
User-interviewing & Affinity mapping
Documentation
Product Discovery
Interface design & Prototyping
Interaction Design
User-interviewing & Affinity mapping
Documentation
Team
Myself (Senior Product Designer)
Lead Product Designer
Head of Product
4 Engineers
Data Scientist
Myself (Senior Product Designer)
Lead Product Designer
Head of Product
4 Engineers
Data Scientist
Tools
Figma
Aragon's Design System
Maze (User testing)
Miro (user feedback and affinity mapping)
User-survey (social networks)
Figma
Aragon's Design System
Maze (User testing)
Miro (user feedback and affinity mapping)
User-survey (social networks)
The Problem
The Problem
The Final Step Was Invisible
The Final Step Was Invisible
The Final Step Was Invisible
We tested the existing flow with 50 users across a deliberately broad spectrum — students, DAO builders, developers, and stakeholders — with varying levels of Web3 experience. What we found was more critical than anticipated.
Users were unable to understand that the final step — a single transaction modal — was the actual DAO creation moment. After completing a multi-step onboarding flow, they didn't realise they were deploying anything. They were abandoning at the last possible step, right before success.
The north star became clear: make the consequence of each action undeniable — especially the one that matters most.
We tested the existing flow with 50 users across a deliberately broad spectrum — students, DAO builders, developers, and stakeholders — with varying levels of Web3 experience. What we found was more critical than anticipated.
Users were unable to understand that the final step — a single transaction modal — was the actual DAO creation moment. After completing a multi-step onboarding flow, they didn't realise they were deploying anything. They were abandoning at the last possible step, right before success.
The north star became clear: make the consequence of each action undeniable — especially the one that matters most.
We tested the existing flow with 50 users across a deliberately broad spectrum — students, DAO builders, developers, and stakeholders — with varying levels of Web3 experience. What we found was more critical than anticipated.
Users were unable to understand that the final step — a single transaction modal — was the actual DAO creation moment. After completing a multi-step onboarding flow, they didn't realise they were deploying anything. They were abandoning at the last possible step, right before success.
The north star became clear: make the consequence of each action undeniable — especially the one that matters most.
Constraints
Constraints
Web3 Rules That Web2 Can't See
Web3 Rules That Web2 Can't See
Web3 Rules That Web2 Can't See
Smart contract boundaries. Every step triggers on-chain logic. Design decisions at the UI level had downstream effects on how the Smart Contract executed — solutions that looked clean in Figma often needed revision once the blockchain interaction model was factored in.
A spectrum of users with no shared mental model. From students who had never created a DAO, to experienced governance contributors using Aragon V1 for years. Every design decision had to work across that entire range.
Beta deadline. The Q4 2022 launch was fixed. Decisions had to be scoped to what could be designed, tested, documented, and shipped within the window — which meant prioritising the critical pain point ruthlessly and deprioritising everything else to a secondary roadmap.
Smart contract boundaries. Every step triggers on-chain logic. Design decisions at the UI level had downstream effects on how the Smart Contract executed — solutions that looked clean in Figma often needed revision once the blockchain interaction model was factored in.
A spectrum of users with no shared mental model. From students who had never created a DAO, to experienced governance contributors using Aragon V1 for years. Every design decision had to work across that entire range.
Beta deadline. The Q4 2022 launch was fixed. Decisions had to be scoped to what could be designed, tested, documented, and shipped within the window — which meant prioritising the critical pain point ruthlessly and deprioritising everything else to a secondary roadmap.
Smart contract boundaries. Every step triggers on-chain logic. Design decisions at the UI level had downstream effects on how the Smart Contract executed — solutions that looked clean in Figma often needed revision once the blockchain interaction model was factored in.
A spectrum of users with no shared mental model. From students who had never created a DAO, to experienced governance contributors using Aragon V1 for years. Every design decision had to work across that entire range.
Beta deadline. The Q4 2022 launch was fixed. Decisions had to be scoped to what could be designed, tested, documented, and shipped within the window — which meant prioritising the critical pain point ruthlessly and deprioritising everything else to a secondary roadmap.
The Turning Point
The Turning Point
It Started as a Usability Problem. It Was Actually a Trust Problem.
It Started as a Visual Problem.
It Wasn't.
It Started as a Usability Problem. It Was Actually a Trust Problem.
The assumption going into testing was that friction was primarily a language problem — too much jargon, not enough guidance. What the sessions revealed was more fundamental.
Affinity mapping findings immediately after testing made the pattern visible: users weren't failing because they didn't understand blockchain. They were failing because the interface gave them no signal that their action had real consequences. A modal asking to "Approve transaction" felt like an administrative prompt — not the moment their organisation was being created on-chain.
This reframe changed the design direction entirely. The problem wasn't copy. It was information architecture and expectation-setting — a structural problem, not a surface one.
The assumption going into testing was that friction was primarily a language problem — too much jargon, not enough guidance. What the sessions revealed was more fundamental.
Affinity mapping findings immediately after testing made the pattern visible: users weren't failing because they didn't understand blockchain. They were failing because the interface gave them no signal that their action had real consequences. A modal asking to "Approve transaction" felt like an administrative prompt — not the moment their organisation was being created on-chain.
This reframe changed the design direction entirely. The problem wasn't copy. It was information architecture and expectation-setting — a structural problem, not a surface one.
The assumption going into testing was that friction was primarily a language problem — too much jargon, not enough guidance. What the sessions revealed was more fundamental.
Affinity mapping findings immediately after testing made the pattern visible: users weren't failing because they didn't understand blockchain. They were failing because the interface gave them no signal that their action had real consequences. A modal asking to "Approve transaction" felt like an administrative prompt — not the moment their organisation was being created on-chain.
This reframe changed the design direction entirely. The problem wasn't copy. It was information architecture and expectation-setting — a structural problem, not a surface one.
The Framework
The Framework
Borrowing the Checkout Flow
Borrowing the Checkout Flow
Borrowing the Checkout Flow
We evaluated several alternative approaches before landing on a solution borrowed directly from Web2 e-commerce: the checkout flow.
The logic was simple. Every person who has bought something online understands the checkout moment — you see a summary, you see the cost, you confirm, you receive feedback. That mental model is universally understood, even by users with zero blockchain experience.
Applied to Aragon, the redesigned "Deploy your DAO" step gave users a full DAO summary before committing, surfaced the gas fee clearly in plain language, and replaced the opaque modal with a four-stage deployment sequence: review → wallet confirmation → on-chain execution → success or error with recovery path. Each stage had its own individual confirmation state — so users always knew where they were, and had a clear way to retry if anything failed.
We evaluated several alternative approaches before landing on a solution borrowed directly from Web2 e-commerce: the checkout flow.
The logic was simple. Every person who has bought something online understands the checkout moment — you see a summary, you see the cost, you confirm, you receive feedback. That mental model is universally understood, even by users with zero blockchain experience.
Applied to Aragon, the redesigned "Deploy your DAO" step gave users a full DAO summary before committing, surfaced the gas fee clearly in plain language, and replaced the opaque modal with a four-stage deployment sequence: review → wallet confirmation → on-chain execution → success or error with recovery path. Each stage had its own individual confirmation state — so users always knew where they were, and had a clear way to retry if anything failed.
We evaluated several alternative approaches before landing on a solution borrowed directly from Web2 e-commerce: the checkout flow.
The logic was simple. Every person who has bought something online understands the checkout moment — you see a summary, you see the cost, you confirm, you receive feedback. That mental model is universally understood, even by users with zero blockchain experience.
Applied to Aragon, the redesigned "Deploy your DAO" step gave users a full DAO summary before committing, surfaced the gas fee clearly in plain language, and replaced the opaque modal with a four-stage deployment sequence: review → wallet confirmation → on-chain execution → success or error with recovery path. Each stage had its own individual confirmation state — so users always knew where they were, and had a clear way to retry if anything failed.
Process
Process
Test First, Design Second
Test First, Design Second
Test First, Design Second
Remote usability testing with 50 participants ran before any new design work began — a deliberate sequencing choice. Testing the existing flow meant findings were grounded in observed behaviour, not assumptions.
The team was lean: Product Lead as interviewer, myself and the Product Manager independently registering feedback in real time. Findings were captured in a structured Miro board, then synthesised through affinity mapping immediately post-session.
From the findings we distinguished one critical pain point requiring immediate redesign from several micro-enhancements formally deferred to the roadmap. With the solution validated through prototype testing, I created detailed Figma documentation covering success states, error states, and edge cases — built for developer handoff. New components were reviewed for the Aragon Open Design System. KPIs were defined collaboratively with the Product Manager and Data Scientist before launch, reviewed quarterly.
Remote usability testing with 50 participants ran before any new design work began — a deliberate sequencing choice. Testing the existing flow meant findings were grounded in observed behaviour, not assumptions.
The team was lean: Product Lead as interviewer, myself and the Product Manager independently registering feedback in real time. Findings were captured in a structured Miro board, then synthesised through affinity mapping immediately post-session.
From the findings we distinguished one critical pain point requiring immediate redesign from several micro-enhancements formally deferred to the roadmap. With the solution validated through prototype testing, I created detailed Figma documentation covering success states, error states, and edge cases — built for developer handoff. New components were reviewed for the Aragon Open Design System. KPIs were defined collaboratively with the Product Manager and Data Scientist before launch, reviewed quarterly.
Remote usability testing with 50 participants ran before any new design work began — a deliberate sequencing choice. Testing the existing flow meant findings were grounded in observed behaviour, not assumptions.
The team was lean: Product Lead as interviewer, myself and the Product Manager independently registering feedback in real time. Findings were captured in a structured Miro board, then synthesised through affinity mapping immediately post-session.
From the findings we distinguished one critical pain point requiring immediate redesign from several micro-enhancements formally deferred to the roadmap. With the solution validated through prototype testing, I created detailed Figma documentation covering success states, error states, and edge cases — built for developer handoff. New components were reviewed for the Aragon Open Design System. KPIs were defined collaboratively with the Product Manager and Data Scientist before launch, reviewed quarterly.
Key Decision
Key Decision
One Critical Fix. Everything Else Waits.
One Critical Fix. Everything Else Waits.
One Critical Fix. Everything Else Waits.
After affinity mapping surfaced both a critical pain point and multiple smaller friction areas, there was pressure to address as many issues as possible before Beta. The decision was made to scope tightly to the final-step failure — the one issue directly killing task completion — and defer everything else to a documented roadmap.
This was the right call. A single well-executed fix with clear before/after metrics is worth more than five partial improvements with no way to isolate their effect. Scoping tightly also meant the solution could be properly prototype-tested and handed off with full documentation before the deadline.
After affinity mapping surfaced both a critical pain point and multiple smaller friction areas, there was pressure to address as many issues as possible before Beta. The decision was made to scope tightly to the final-step failure — the one issue directly killing task completion — and defer everything else to a documented roadmap.
This was the right call. A single well-executed fix with clear before/after metrics is worth more than five partial improvements with no way to isolate their effect. Scoping tightly also meant the solution could be properly prototype-tested and handed off with full documentation before the deadline.
After affinity mapping surfaced both a critical pain point and multiple smaller friction areas, there was pressure to address as many issues as possible before Beta. The decision was made to scope tightly to the final-step failure — the one issue directly killing task completion — and defer everything else to a documented roadmap.
This was the right call. A single well-executed fix with clear before/after metrics is worth more than five partial improvements with no way to isolate their effect. Scoping tightly also meant the solution could be properly prototype-tested and handed off with full documentation before the deadline.
The Solution
The Solution
From a Modal to a Moment
From a Modal to a Moment
From a Modal to a Moment
The redesigned flow replaced a single transaction approval modal with a structured four-stage deployment sequence. Users now saw a full DAO summary before committing. The gas fee was surfaced in plain language. The wallet confirmation step was explicitly described as an external browser action — eliminating the confusion of users missing the prompt entirely. On-chain execution displayed progress per step. Success delivered clear confirmation that the DAO was live.
Back button labelling on step 3 was corrected to remove the ambiguity causing users to exit and lose progress. A Save Draft pattern was flagged for the product roadmap.
All new flow states and edge cases were documented in Figma with developer annotations and fed back into the Aragon Open Design System.
The redesigned flow replaced a single transaction approval modal with a structured four-stage deployment sequence. Users now saw a full DAO summary before committing. The gas fee was surfaced in plain language. The wallet confirmation step was explicitly described as an external browser action — eliminating the confusion of users missing the prompt entirely. On-chain execution displayed progress per step. Success delivered clear confirmation that the DAO was live.
Back button labelling on step 3 was corrected to remove the ambiguity causing users to exit and lose progress. A Save Draft pattern was flagged for the product roadmap.
All new flow states and edge cases were documented in Figma with developer annotations and fed back into the Aragon Open Design System.
The redesigned flow replaced a single transaction approval modal with a structured four-stage deployment sequence. Users now saw a full DAO summary before committing. The gas fee was surfaced in plain language. The wallet confirmation step was explicitly described as an external browser action — eliminating the confusion of users missing the prompt entirely. On-chain execution displayed progress per step. Success delivered clear confirmation that the DAO was live.
Back button labelling on step 3 was corrected to remove the ambiguity causing users to exit and lose progress. A Save Draft pattern was flagged for the product roadmap.
All new flow states and edge cases were documented in Figma with developer annotations and fed back into the Aragon Open Design System.
