Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, recently published a blog post reflecting on his experiences with cryptocurrency payments and the lessons he learned along the way. Buterin starts by recounting his first experience using Bitcoin to pay for sushi in San Francisco in 2013.
He attempted to pay with Bitcoin but faced issues with his mobile internet connection. This experience taught him the importance of in-person payment systems that can function even when internet connections are unreliable.
Buterin goes on to share his experiences with various Ethereum-based payment systems, including Tornado Cash and Uniswap, and the challenges he faced when attempting to save on transaction fees or use certain features that were not fully compatible with his preferred wallet solutions.
Throughout his post, Buterin emphasizes the importance of user experience, stating that “good user experience is not about the average case, it is about the worst case.”
He notes that while user experience has improved significantly over the years, there is still much work to be done, particularly in improving transaction inclusion UX and addressing the high transaction fees associated with scaling issues.
Buterin concludes by stating that a fundamental reason why many people in the Global South typically choose centralized solutions rather than decentralized alternatives is because the user experience is better with centralized options.
He points out that even while there has been progress achieved, there is still more work that needs to be done to guarantee that cryptocurrency payments are available and trustworthy for all consumers.
Buterin’s blog post provides valuable insights into the challenges facing cryptocurrency payments and the importance of user experience in ensuring their widespread adoption.
