Fedi - Case Study
My Role
Ux Designer
Timeline
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Team Members
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Skill
Ux Audit, Ux Research, Analysis
Designing Human-First Federation Onboarding & Ecash Usability
INTRODUCTION
Fedi is a next-generation Bitcoin wallet built on Fedimint, a community-custodied ecash protocol.
It brings together:
Bitcoin wallets
Ecash payments
Communities & federations
Chat
Mini apps
…into one unified experience.
This case study is my independent UX evaluation and redesign proposal for Fedi, created as proof of work and as a demonstration of my ability to simplify complex, protocol-heavy systems into intuitive user flows.
PROBLEM SPACE
Because of unfamiliar concepts, UX must do more than organizing screens. It must teach, comfort, and simplify.
Fedi introduces entirely new primitives to average users:
What is a federation?
Are communities different from federations?
Why do I need to scan? What does it unlock?
Where do my wallets live? Who are guardians?
Which apps are local vs global?
My goal:
Design a cohesive UX that makes Fedi feel as simple as WhatsApp, despite running on advanced Bitcoin privacy infrastructure.
RESEARCH AND FIRST PRINCIPLES OF UNDERSTANDING
Contextual Understanding
Fedi is built on top of Fedimint, a Chaumian Ecash federation protocol. This means the product must balance three competing forces:
Privacy – preserve user autonomy and protect metadata
Simplicity – onboarding must feel like joining a WhatsApp group
Security – ensure that non-technical users can safely join federations and manage backups
I evaluated the full product experience based on screenshots across:
Onboarding
Wallet creation
Federation discovery
Community pages
Chats
Mini apps
Scan flows
Settings
Invite codes & QR onboarding
Below are the major UX issues I identified.
UX PROBLEMS
Fedi is a groundbreaking step toward Bitcoin-powered digital communities.
01. Redundant “feature explanation” modals
Every major tab (Wallets, Chat, Communities, Mini Apps) shows a large modal explaining what the feature does.
Problem: Creates onboarding fatigue. Users skip quickly, losing context.
02. “Community” and “Federation” appear as different concepts
Example screens show:
Join or Create a Community
Join or Create a Federation
Create a Federation mini app
Community invite QR
Problem: In Fedimint, community = federation. In the UI, they feel separate → mental model conflict.
03. Overloaded community home
The screenshot of Fedi Global reveals:
A hero announcement card
Mini apps
Navigation icons
A random popup: “Here’s your display name: nimble kite”
QR invite icon
Problem: Too many unrelated functions on a single screen → cognitive overload.
04. Multiple competing join entry points
User can join via:
Scan tab
“Join” tab
Paste code
QR icon inside community card
Federation discovery list
Problem: Users don’t know why they’re joining or what they’re joining.
05. Scan flow lacks purpose clarity
Current UI: “Allow camera access to scan.”
But scanning enables:
Joining a federation
Adding a mini app
Starting a chat
Restoring access
UI does not explain this.
06. Mini apps lack explanation, categories, or trust indicators
The mini app grid looks like an app store, but:
No description
No categories
No “community-selected” vs “global” indicator
PPQ, Bitrefill, BTC Map, AI Assistant appear together without context
07. Identity setup appears in the wrong place
A popup suddenly says:
Here’s your display name: “nimble kite”
This appears after joining a community, not during onboarding.
Problem: Interruptive. Unexpected.
UX SOLUTIONS
Solutions for the three highest-priority problems identified with the RICE method
Universal Join Flow
Unify every “join” action into a single, intelligent entry point.
New Global CTA:
Join with Code or ScaN
This appears:
On onboarding
At the top of Communities tab
In navigation bar
How it works:
Users scan/paste any type of Fedi code, and the system automatically classifies it as:
Federation / Community invite
Mini-app install
Chat group
Payment request
Wallet restore
Identity linking
UI Behavior:
After scanning, the user sees a small type badge, not a new screen.
Example:
You’re joining:
🔐 Federation: NYC Bitcoin Federation
58 guardians - 142 members
Continue →
Or:
You’re adding:
⚡ Mini App: Bitrefill
Add to my group →
Impact:
One clean mental model
Eliminates join friction
Reduces entire information architecture complexity
Fewer errors / less uncertainty
Makes Fedi feel intuitive like WhatsApp QR join
Refined Information Hierarchy & Header Cleanup
New Heading / Primary Change
Cleaner, minimal header with reduced icon clutter
The redesigned header removes unnecessary elements, organizes actions more cleanly, and aligns better with Fedi’s floating minimal design language.
Key UI Enhancements Visible Before Interaction
Balance Pill Moved to the Top
“Balance: 0 SATS” is now visible and persistent at the top instead of buried inside sections.
Reorganized Community Sections
Clear hierarchy:
Community Name
Community News
Mini Apps
Pinned Announcement
Stronger Card Visuals
Announcement card and info blocks use better spacing, alignment, and color contrast.
Clean Icon Alignment + Visual Rhythm
Icons, text labels, and badges are consistently spaced and sized.
UI Behavior
Community screen loads with a visible balance pill, making wallet status glanceable.
Cards expand with consistent padding and visual structure.
Header elements appear lighter and less intrusive.
Tabs in chat (All / Personal / Groups) reduce scanning friction.
Microcopy Example
Clear categories like “All Joined Community News” and better-labeled announcement tiles help users instantly know what is happening in their federations.
Impact
Reduced cognitive load due to cleaner hierarchy
More predictable layouts across Communities and Chat
Better wallet awareness since balance is now visible
Easier navigation with chat categories and reorganized cards
More polished, Fedi-consistent UI with less clutter
Identity Confirmation Before Joining a Community
New Heading
Set Your Display Identity Before You Join
This ensures users understand who they are inside Fedi before entering any community.
Key UI Addition
Identity Pop-Up (Shown Before Community Join)
A modal appears asking the user to confirm or edit their display name, with:
Auto-generated name (e.g., “nimble kite”)
Edit option
Small contextual microcopy
UI Behavior - sense of belonging
User taps “Join Community”
Identity Pop-Up appears FIRST (before the join action happens)
User can:
Accept the auto-generated identity
Edit name
Proceed only after confirming
Only THEN does the Join Confirmation appear.
This prevents users from accidentally entering communities with a placeholder or unwanted name.
Microcopy Example
“This is how you’ll appear in communities. You can change it anytime.”
Keeps the tone friendly, casual, and low-pressure.
Impact
Reduces onboarding friction caused by random auto-generated names appearing later
Increases confidence before interacting in communities
Leads to more intentional participation
Improves privacy clarity - the user understands their “identity layer” inside Fedi
Fixes the confusion where users saw their name after joining instead of before
POTENTIAL IMPACT
If, i was a ux designer at Fedi, this is what i would target
A measurable, product-driven outlook on what these improvements could unlock
Even without direct access to user analytics, we can infer clear product opportunities. The redesigned flows specifically target friction points that are known to hurt adoption in early-stage financial and social apps. By addressing clarity, onboarding sequence, and interaction predictability, the following impacts are realistically achievable:
1. Increase Onboarding Completion
Identity confirmation happens at the correct moment.
Universal Join flow reduces cognitive load at the most fragile part of the funnel.
Scan purpose is clearer, reducing early drop-offs.
Why it matters:
Fedi’s onboarding isn’t just a “signup” it’s where users internalize federations, ecash, and group identity. Smoother onboarding = higher community participation.
2. Reduction in First-Day Confusion Points
(estimated from similar apps with multi-purpose scanning flows)
Users understand immediately what scanning does.
Community vs federation confusion is reduced by tightening identity steps.
Balance visibility reduces “Where is my money?” uncertainty.
Why it matters:
Confusion is the #1 reason users bounce from ecosystem apps that mix chat, money, and groups.
3. Improvement in Community Join Rate
(because Join becomes a single, predictable action)
One unified route to join a group.
Less branching = fewer abandoned attempts.
Identity clarity reduces accidental joins and misunderstandings.
Why it matters:
Fedi’s network effect depends on group adhesion.
More joins = more activity = stronger federation utility.
4. Higher Engagement With Mini-Apps
Once scanning is reframed as “Join → Pay → Add Apps → Restore”, more users will:
scan mini app codes
try third-party integrations
explore community-specific tools
Why it matters:
Mini apps are Fedi’s extensibility layer = more usage = more retention = more revenue opportunities.
CONCLUSION
The proposed improvements strengthen the earliest and most critical touchpoints of the Fedi experience onboarding, identity clarity, joining flows, and the scanner mental model. Together, they create a smoother, more predictable journey that can realistically improve onboarding completion, increase community participation, and reduce friction-driven drop-offs.
However, these are experience-driven recommendations.
No major structural changes are proposed because I currently do not have access to Fedi’s internal user research, analytics, or behavioural data.
As a designer, I’ve used my understanding of usability, mental models, and friction psychology to shape the app as smoothly as possible.
With real data, funnel analytics, heatmaps, error points, user interviews, these suggestions could be refined further and made significantly more precise and impactful for both the user and the business.