Kraken
Add-a-feature project
This project features adding an educational feature to the Kraken website.
01 / Summary
Disclaimer: This project was completed as part of my DesignLab bootcamp and is not directly associated with Kraken.
Duration: 75 hours
My Role: UX Research, UX Design, Wireframing, Prototyping,
Deliverables: Full Competitive Analysis, Detailed User Interviews, User Flows, Wireframes, High-Fidelity Prototype
Problem
Information Overload: Users encounter overwhelming complexity in online crypto resources, making it difficult to trust information and leading to hesitation in investing.
Novice User Struggles: New users often find basic processes, such as account setup and transaction tracking, daunting. They struggle to understand fees and risks, which hinders their engagement with the crypto ecosystem.
Intermediate User Needs: Users at this level seek deeper insights beyond the basics. They want information on advanced topics, investment opportunities, and market developments, yet prefer it to be understandable without excessive jargon.
Objective
Solution
Interactive Educational Feature: Educational feature offers dynamic pathways to learn about different cryptocurrency topics
Fun and Engaging Learning Experience: Engaging learning modules incorporate gamified elements, challenges, and quizzes alongside well-structured courses.
Progress Tracking System: Users can track their progress on their dashboard to see their advancements, and celebrate milestones with badges or points, encouraging them to stay motivated throughout their learning path.
02 / Understanding the Problem
User Experience Research
To gain a better understanding of user expectations for educational resources on the cryptocurrency platform and evaluate current market offerings, I conducted a competitive analysis of various crypto platforms offering educational materials. Additionally, I explored non-crypto educational platforms to better understand what motivates users to learn.
Key Insights from Competitive Analysis:
Combine Depth & Incentives: Coinbase Earn shows that small crypto rewards can attract learners, but often lacks depth. Binance Academy has robust content but little gamification.
Gamification Potential: Duolingo’s success proves that well-executed gamification boosts retention—something lacking in crypto education.
Differentiation: A Kraken “Learn & Earn” system can offer meaningful, structured modules and fun, consistent rewards (XP, badges, or fee discounts), blending both educational depth and habit-forming engagement.
User Interviews
I conducted five interviews with individuals from diverse backgrounds and varying levels of crypto expertise. This group included both active, proficient users and those who were just contemplating their first steps into investing.
To synthesize my findings, I created an Affinity Map and an Empathy Map. These tools enabled me to gain a clearer understanding of how users feel, think, and act while interacting with cryptocurrencies.
Key Insights from User Interviews:
Novice users feel intimidated by taking their first investment steps due to the volatility and risk associated with cryptocurrencies.
Both novice and intermediate users need a way to find reliable information, educate themselves, and make informed investment decisions.
Users often forget what they have and haven’t learned already and would feel motivated if they could see their progress and be celebrated for their achievements.
Who are the users?
After analyzing my research findings, I developed two personas that capture the key pain points and motivations of my interview participants. These personas helped me clearly identify my target users and served as a reference point throughout the entire design process.
Crypto Explorer
She recently started exploring cryptocurrencies to diversify her investments. With a busy schedule, Erika struggles to dedicate time to understanding complex topics like crypto, but is eager to learn through structured, engaging methods. She values security and simplicity in her investments and prefers platforms that prioritize transparency and ease of use.
Goals:
Learn about different cryptocurrencies and how to use the platform
Build confidence in understanding cryptocurrencies
Needs & Motivations:
Accessible, structured learning paths tailored to her level
Transparency of how platform and crypto work, fees, and taxes explained
Frustrations:
Feels overwhelmed by abundance of information, coins, and platforms
Skeptical about learning on a trading platform as not to get pushed to trade
Crypto Investor
He views cryptocurrencies as a long-term wealth-building tool and leverages his financial expertise to identify promising investment opportunities. As a father of two, Michael integrates his crypto education into his morning routine, often reading in-depth articles and analyzing market trends while enjoying his coffee.
Goals:
Deepen understanding of cryptocurrencies and DeFi
Stay up to date with new coins and investment opportunities
Needs & Motivations:
In-depth resources backed by research articles
Structured lessons that can be integrated in a busy daily routine
Frustrations:
Sorting through a lot of misinformation and clutter
Low reliability of content, such as Twitter posts
03 / Solution
User Journey
App Features
Based on the research findings, it became clear that an ideal feature would be a structured educational path that incorporates existing Kraken learning articles with a gamified approach. This feature would need to adopt a personalized approach for each user, ensuring that individuals at every level feel welcome and continue to learn new information. Additionally, it would be essential to track progress and reward achievements for learning.
I narrowed the list to the following features:
Tailored Learning Path:
Personalized Onboarding
A quiz to determine user level (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
Customizable Tracks:
Basics
Investing Strategy
Advanced DeFi Protocols
Tax Optimization
Interactive Learning Modules:
Enhance existing lessons to be more interactive by tracking progress
Add quizzes at the end of each lesson to ensure knowledge retention
Gamified Features:
Badges and Advancements: badges for completing lessons, maintaining streaks, or achieving high quiz scores
Link badges to credibility platforms like LinkedIn to showcase expertise
Provide celebratory feedback, like confetti or cheers
Progress Tracking:
Display a visual learning path with milestones and progress percentages.
User Flows
To visualize the user journey incorporating all these features, I created User Flows that guide users to their learning dashboard, help them identify their learning goals, and provide tools to track progress and maintain motivation.
Low & Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Having established a foundation with the intended features and user flows, I first sketched the wireframes by hand and then transitioned to mid-fidelity designs. This process brought me closer to visualizing the final feature and facilitated initial testing with users. Gathering feedback early on allowed me to incorporate valuable insights into the final designs before conducting high-fidelity testing.
Low-fidelity testing insights:
The last screen displayed “Level 3,” which had not been mentioned previously, and caused confusion
Users expressed a preference for having names for the levels instead of numbers
Users found the overall flow of the testing and learning process to be quite clear
Branding & UI
For this project, I worked within the existing UI of the Kraken brand. To develop the educational feature, I needed to incorporate elements that matched the aesthetic of the current website and app. I utilized Kraken’s colors and images to create components such as cards, progress bars, and accordion items, ensuring that the new feature was cohesive with the overall brand.
High Fidelity Wireframes
Testing & Iterations
When I was ready to test my prototype, I created a user test plan to evaluate how users completed the “Personalizing Learning Path” and “Interactive Learning Module” flows, as well as how they navigated through the “Learning Dashboard.”
I recruited five participants and conducted interviews with them over video call.
What users had to say:
Personalizing Learning Path
Several users hesitated or missed the “Learn” button
Some expected to sign up before taking the quiz, not after
Once started, the flow felt easy and straightforward
Interactive Learning Module
Users clearly understood course progress and liked immediate feedback
Quiz was well-received—seen as easy, intuitive, and helpful for retention
Some requested stronger visual cues on how many topics can be chosen and confirmation that a course was selected
Learning Dashboard
Levels, XP, and metrics were generally understood, but the XP display could be more explicit
Users appreciated LinkedIn sharing but wanted additional platforms
Users provided feedback regarding the information architecture on the dashboard, suggesting that it should be structured more intuitively.
Iterations after User Testing
✅ Redesigned the Learning Dashboard, which was tested again. The feedback indicated that it was much clearer and better organized
✅ Added a clear call-to-action (CTA) to the home page, indicating the start of the learning experience
✅ Added more affordance to the cards when users select a course
04 / Outcomes
User-centered iterative design
Conclusion
This project helped me grow as a UX designer by learning how to design within an established brand system while still creating something new and valuable for users. Through research, I discovered that both novice and experienced crypto users struggled to find reliable, up-to-date information. This shaped my goal of building a feature that feels credible, engaging, and easy to navigate. The biggest challenge was designing an educational experience that balanced clarity with engagement, but user feedback helped me find solutions that worked for different experience levels. Ultimately, I gained hands-on experience with designing learning dashboards, prototyping, and iterating while staying true to a brand’s voice. I gained valuable skills that I can carry forward into future projects.
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