Coinbase · 2022 · Senior Content Designer
Scaling peer-to-peer transfers with usernames
Sending and receiving crypto meant copying a 36-character string and hoping you didn't make a mistake. We replaced those with human-readable usernames to make transfers less stressful.
MY ROLE
Conent Lead
TEAM
PM, PD, UXR, ENG
TIMELINE
Q2 2022
The problem
Blockchain addresses are 24–36 character alphanumeric strings. They're impossible to remember, and genuinely scary if you send to the wrong one. For many users, this was the biggest friction point in sending crypto.
The address looked like this: 1Lbcfr7sAHTD9CgdQo3HTMTkV8LK4ZnX71
The solution
Instead of dealing with complicated addresses, users could create and share a simple, human-readable username, making transactions easier, faster, and safer.
Final designs and content
We used social proof to encourage people to claim their username
The flow highlights 4 core value props: free, simple, customizable, and full-ownership
I advocated for telling people about this limitation early on to prevent confusion or frustration later
Giving people control over their privacy was important. In later revisions, I swapped 'users' for 'people' to reduce repetition and make the content feel more human
We gave the user reassurance by displaying the username they had just claimed. And added a touch of celebration!
I encouraged users to continue their journey by adding profile details
Clear, concise, and action-driven, this banner highlights the benefit of receiving crypto with ease with a call to action
The outcome
In the first week after launch, millions of users claimed usernames, shared them on social media, and used them to send and receive crypto around the world.