ecash design guide
The start
I was awarded a grant to write, design, and deploy an ecash section to the Bitcoin Design Community’s official design guide. I took on the roles of researcher, designer, and front-end developer to create a comprehensive design guide that provides an overview of both ecash protocols, Fedimint and Cashu, along with design best practices for each.
Developer interviews
Summarized findings from user interviews organized to highlight key themes and insights.
One of the first things I had to do to make sure the guide was useful and accurate was talk to developers—but not just casual chats. I needed to really dig in and interview them. I asked about stuff like the biggest misconceptions users have about ecash, the features they’ve struggled to design (this was huge because I wanted to focus on those in the guide), and what they think is most important for users to know. These interviews helped me get a clear picture of what I needed to learn and where to focus while writing and designing the guide.
Bitcoin-backed ecash is an unexplored design space. There aren’t many design conventions, patterns, or references to guide UX/UI design. I relied heavily on my experience as a design contributor for projects like eNuts, Athenut, and apps within the ecosystem. Through these projects, I’ve developed a deep understanding of the nuances around ecash design and best practices.
Collaboration
User feedback from Bitcoin Prague 2024 Hackday and ecash Hackday helped shaped the ecash guide.
I believe in working openly and sharing my design process with others—ideas that are important to the Bitcoin design community. During my talk at Bitcoin Prague Hackday 2024, I had people install different ecash wallets like Cashu.Me, Minibits, and eNuts. We tried them out by scanning ecash QR codes and sending ecash back and forth. This hands-on activity led to great conversations, with participants jotting down their thoughts and suggestions on post it notes.
Later on, I shared these experiences with developers at the 2nd Ecash Hackday in Berlin and used the feedback to improve the ecash guide.
Feedback loop
Leading in person review and feedback session with Fedimint developers.
One of my goals was to create a guide that would be valuable for both designers and developers. I aimed to balance a high-level overview with just enough technical detail, all presented in an easy-to-read way. This required collaboration with Fedimint and Cashu developers.
Until this point, I focused my research on understanding end users’ perceptions of ecash. I used this to build a draft version of the guide, and then I shared it with Fedimint and Cashu developers. I also organized recurring guide-reading session calls. During these calls, the developers left feedback and corrections.
Fedimint and Cashu developers, along with end users, provided feedback on the guide.
Recording from the third ecash review session.
Design
I wanted the visual style and aesthetics to evoke how people in the past imagined the future—a “retro-future” style. I modified this Midjourney prompt I came across on X. By blending vintage technology with a modern, futuristic feel, I aimed for a “retro-future” look in the illustrations and themes throughout the guide. Since Digicash (the world’s first cryptocurrency) was based on ecash, I found it fitting to design in this style.