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+---
+title: 'Web3 User Experience: Measuring and Improving What Matters'
+heroImg: ''
+excerpt: >
+  In the rapidly evolving Web3 landscape, user experience (UX) is crucial. Gerry
+  McGovern's talk at "An Event Apart" in 2017 highlights the need for measuring
+  customer experience. He emphasizes understanding user intent and simplifying
+  navigation to enhance engagement. Discover how to apply his insights to
+  improve your Web3 UX strategy.
+author: content/authors/Dylan-Burkey.md
+date: '2024-10-22T04:00:00.000Z'
+---
+
+
+## In Web3 Understanding User Intent is paramount to project success.
+
+The world of Web3 is innovating rapidly, and user experience (UX) is more important than ever. Gerry McGovern's talk at "An Event Apart" in Denver 2017 shines a much-needed spotlight on the best way to measure and improve the customer experience. McGovern presented a robust framework for tackling this issue, showcasing actionable strategies to streamline digital interaction. His honest, no-frills speaking style takes on bloated web designs and delivers direct solutions for a more user-friendly experience that works in Web3's rapidly expanding landscape.
+
+In this blog post, I’ll break down the essential parts of McGovern’s insightful talk and point out how measuring the customer experience—and taking consistent action—can benefit your UX strategy in Web3. Here’s something to watch if you want to hear McGovern speak directly:
+
+> “Measuring the Customer Experience” by Gerry McGovern—An Event Apart Denver 2017
+
+[![Measuring and Improving What Matters](/uploadshttps://img.youtube.com/vi/cdpMiMc1ErQ/0.jpg "Measuring and Improving What Matters")](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdpMiMc1ErQ "Measuring and Improving What Matters")
+
+It’s a lively and humorous presentation, but more than that, it’s about real-world experience and data-driven decisions that translate into a better user journey.
+
+### Using Videos to Kickstart Engagement
+
+McGovern opened with humor and a video, instantly reminding us of the power of visual content. Videos are an effective tool to get people invested quickly. In his case, it wasn’t just to keep the audience awake—he used the video to highlight a core usability problem: how navigation works on websites and how users react to poor web design.
+
+Videos have long been known to engage and inform simultaneously, and digital designers working in Web3 should take note. Visual content is a quick way to show users important information and engage them at an emotional level. Use it wisely, though—an irrelevant video can distract or even irritate your users.
+
+### Popularity of Travel Content: Can We Trust Navigation Data?
+
+One of McGovern’s key points is how website owners can misinterpret user interactions without proper understanding of user intent. He highlighted how, on travel websites, many users focus too much on navigation, clicking around menus without completing their task. But is this good or bad?
+
+Web statistics alone, like “clicks,” fail to explain why users are clicking. More clicks don’t necessarily mean better engagement. If people are lost in a maze of navigation and aren’t finding what they need, then your site is failing, even if the metrics say otherwise. In Web3 UX, where users expect to interact with decentralized apps (dApps) and token-based ecosystems, navigation must be seamless, otherwise, trust—and engagement—drops quickly.
+
+### Understanding the Why Behind User Actions
+
+Metrics like time spent on a web page or number of clicks are easy to track, but they lack context. McGovern stresses that web performance needs to be paired with understanding user intent. In Web3, this translates to tracking not just what users are doing but why users aren't completing their desired tasks efficiently.
+
+For instance, McGovern gave the example of someone trying to find travel documents for Canada, and instead of following the "ideal navigation path," they were stalled by confusing options. Without knowing why people are clicking around or stalling, you're left with incomplete information.
+
+This problem is magnified in Web3 applications. Users here are generally tech-savvy but impatient. If they’re spending undue time navigating or figuring out how to interact with a dApp, they’ll find alternatives—or not bother at all.
+
+### Travel to Canada: A Lesson in User Confusion
+
+McGovern masterfully broke down a specific task: finding out what documents an Irish citizen needs to visit Canada. The expected user journey, according to the Canadian government, should start with "Immigration." However, most users clicked on "Travel," assuming that’s where to find the information. This simple semantic difference resulted in wasted time and user frustration.
+
+A goal of Web3 platforms should be removing friction like this. When your platform has specific terminology or jargon (like “smart contracts” or “consensus mechanisms”), simplify it. Customers don’t want to spend precious minutes trying to interpret tech-speak. A smooth Web3 user experience should feature clear, direct terms that reflect how users think.
+
+### The ETA vs. Visa Problem: Clarity is Key
+
+In McGovern’s example, users were further confused because the Canadian government referred to a travel authorization document as an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) instead of a visa. This kind of bureaucratic terminology caused extra stress for users who aren’t familiar with it. It’s a reminder that while internal teams may be familiar with certain terms, users operate on completely different assumptions.
+
+In Web3, this is a huge issue. Many Web3 platforms use complex terminology that confuses new users: gas fees, staking, slashing—terms that are crucial but need to be explained in a simple, intuitive way. If you want your Web3 app to attract mainstream users, it’s crucial to use language they understand, or at the very least, provide a quick and direct definition or explanation on the page.
+
+### Useless Images and Fancy Content: Don’t Be Distracting
+
+One of the best parts of McGovern’s talk is his hilarious takedown of useless web content. Using examples like unnecessary photos (planes, stock images of happy families), McGovern showed how many organizations waste the most valuable real estate on their web pages with irrelevant content.
+
+This applies to Web3 as well. Many sites rely on flashy visuals, excessive branding, or dense, technical copy. But do they really help the user accomplish what they need? Probably not. Relevancy is king. Get rid of the excess and make sure the content serves a purpose. For Web3, every interaction needs to lead towards the user’s goal, whether that’s minting a token, checking the status of a smart contract, or making a transaction.
+
+### Solving Problems Through Collaboration
+
+McGovern shared an example of how the Canadian government solved their navigation issues. Through collaboration between different departments—immigration and foreign affairs—they improved their web experience by bringing fragmented sections into a cohesive unit. By placing a crucial "Visit Canada" link where users would reasonably expect it (on the Travel page), the two departments came together to serve the user—rather than their own separate silos.
+
+This problem isn’t unique to the government. In decentralized Web3 projects, often multiple teams are working on different parts of the user experience. Smart contract developers may not have daily discussions with frontend engineers or UX designers. When everyone works independently, the result is a fragmented user experience.
+
+### Measuring Customer Experience in Web3: Success Rate and Time Matter
+
+McGovern makes an excellent point: to optimize your website—especially in Web3 where actions are often highly specific and task-driven—you need to track two key metrics: success rate (percentage of users completing a task) and time on task (how long it takes them to do it).
+
+Think about a wallet dApp. If a customer can’t figure out how to transfer tokens within a reasonable time, your product has failed, even if engagement metrics look fine on paper. Success rate and speed are the truest measures of UX efficiency.
+
+### Case Study: Simplicity Beats Innovation in Canadian Passport Service
+
+McGovern shared a case from Canada’s passport service. In an attempt to be innovative, they introduced an interactive map with thousands of locations. The result? Users couldn’t figure out where to go and success rates plummeted. The simple fix? A basic box where users could input their postal code and get the nearest passport center. Success rates shot up to 100%.
+
+The lesson for Web3? Don’t overcomplicate things. Cool innovations are great, but they should never take priority over a smooth user experience. Token transfers, staking, and smart contract interactions should be as straightforward as possible.
+
+### Focusing on Core Tasks
+
+In his talk, McGovern emphasized a crucial point: keep it simple. Focus on core tasks. In Web3, this means getting users from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Whether it’s secure transfers, staking tokens, or voting in decentralized governance, the user’s key tasks should always be the focus.
+
+For instance, in a staking dApp, what do users want? Primarily, they want to know how to stake their tokens quickly, see the expected returns, and easily track rewards. Anything beyond that—features that aren’t directly related to that core function—is only extra noise. Offer it in simplified forms later, but when the user first arrives, make that core task a stress-free experience.
+
+### The Power of Links and Task-Based Design
+
+Perhaps the most revolutionary idea McGovern shared is the importance of correct links. Clear, direct links that take people exactly to the information they need are underrated—and as McGovern painfully pointed out, sorely underused. Links aren’t just clickables on a page—they’re the backbone of user journeys.
+
+For Web3 projects especially, where information can be fragmented, the right links can make or break a user’s ability to navigate the platform. Whether it’s a user trying to read a smart contract's details or check the network status, links should always lead users directly where they expect to go.
+
+### Remote User Testing: Fast, Affordable, and Effective
+
+Perhaps the most actionable takeaway for Web3 developers was McGovern’s advocacy for remote user testing. Unlike lab-based testing, remote testing allows users to test the site in their natural environment—on their computer or mobile—where they are more likely to behave normally.
+
+When constructing decentralized platforms and dApps, remote testing should be a key part of development. It’s crucial to see how users interact with your dApp in real-time and their own environments. Because Web3 technology can sometimes feel intimidating or confusing, understanding real-world behavior is essential.
+
+### Simple Solutions Win Customer Loyalty
+
+Focusing on saving your customers time, simplifying their path, and ensuring their success will pay off in any Web3 experience. Gerry McGovern’s talk underscores the need for UX designers and developers to prioritize tasks, time, and success rates rather than fancy features. When your Web3 platform makes a user’s life easier, they’re far more likely to become loyal participants.
+
+***
+
+Takeaways for Web3 User Experience:
+
+* Measure success and time for core tasks.
+* Collaborate across teams to create intuitive paths for users.
+* Eliminate confusing content, jargon, and useless images.
+* Focus on real user behavior and be prepared to simplify when needed.
+* Always remember: the simplest path to a task’s completion is usually the best one.