Context
WHY Protocol wanted to create a platform where both investors and project owners are vetted, so people could feel confident investing without second-guessing everything.
They also had another challenge: many high-performing investment opportunities in the space are fragmented and hard to access. WHY Protocol aimed to solve this by aggregating and streamlining those opportunities into a single, more liquid experience.
Why They Brought Me In
The founders had a bold idea but needed someone to help translate that into a product that actually made sense to users—especially people who are used to clunky Web3 tools. I was brought in to design the end-to-end user experience and interface, making sure the platform worked for both investors and project owners without hand-holding them through every step. The goal was to build something clear, intuitive, and credible.
My Role
I led the end to end product design, collaborating closely with John and Nadir on the product’s direction and vibe, and worked with JC to align on dev constraints and handoff. I was involved across the full process—from early research and ideation to prototyping and testing.
Design Approach
We started by talking to real users—people who’d both invested in and built Web3 projects. We figured that WHY Protocol’s users would often switch roles, so we designed with that in mind: one day they’re fundraising, the next they’re investing in someone else’s project. We spoke to people who had experience on both sides, which gave us solid insights into what was broken in the current market.
From there, we mapped out common pain points, moved into mid-fidelity mockups to shape early ideas, and then progressed to high-fidelity designs. We tested everything remotely through unmoderated usability tests—this helped us see if users could figure things out without us needing to explain anything. If they didn’t “get it” on their own, we went back and tweaked the flow.
What We Discovered
We found some consistent problems that kept showing up for users:
- Top-tier investment deals were fragmented or hard to access
- Finding legit, quality projects took too much effort
- Due diligence was slow, and people were missing good opportunities
- There was a general lack of trust in the system
Key Design Decisions
Even though this was a Web3 platform, we wanted to bring a strong sense of identity to the experience. Most tools in the space lean into anonymity, but here, we needed users to feel safe. So, we designed a simple but trustworthy identity flow that helped people feel seen and verified without making things overly complicated.
We also built out a transparent project database where investors could quickly check a project’s trust score, funding progress, and what they’d get if they invested. It was important that everything felt upfront and not shady.
Artifacts I Created
- Dashboard and website designs
- Information architecture for both investor and project owner flows
- Mid and high-fidelity mockups
- Interactive prototypes used for remote testing
Testing & Iteration
Testing was done remotely and mostly unmoderated—we wanted to see if users understood the flow without us stepping in. If they struggled, we used that feedback to make changes. Overall, the feedback was really positive, and the users we tested with felt the experience was clean and intuitive.
Where Things Stand
The product is still in development right now. Once it launches, the team plans to kick off the token generation event, onboard users, and start collecting structured feedback through surveys and usability scoring. That will help shape future iterations of the product.
What I Learned
This project really reminded me of how fragile trust is in product design—especially in a space like Web3 where skepticism is high. It pushed me to think deeply about how to show trust, not just say it. Also, designing for dual-role users (people who could be both investor and founder) taught me how important it is to create flexible, but clear, user journeys that still feel personalized.
And finally, working so closely with devs throughout helped me stay grounded in what was technically feasible, which made handoff super smooth.