Does Decentralization Matter? | Kevin Owocki & Cooper Turley

Mar 17, 2022

In a thought-provoking discussion, Kevin Owocki, an early contributor to Gitcoin, champions decentralization while advocating for sustainable crypto economics. Cooper Turley, a creator economy advocate, takes the side of user experience over strict decentralization. They explore the trade-offs between product viability and core crypto values, the role of governance in decentralized systems, and how user-friendly solutions are essential to onboarding new users. Their insights shed light on the evolving Web3 landscape and the future of the crypto industry.

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INSIGHT

Decentralization vs. Usability

Decentralization and user experience are correlated in product design.
Decentralized products are often harder to use.

INSIGHT

Decentralization as UX

Decentralization is a crucial part of user experience, especially for users in unstable regions.
Usability in Web3 is improving with tools like The Graph.

ANECDOTE

New User Focus

The 2021/2022 crypto adopters primarily focus on utility, not ideology.
They use crypto to achieve specific goals like NFT collecting.

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What is most important in crypto? What wins out in the end? Today, we find out if user experience is more important than decentralization. As we progress through crypto's cambrian explosion, we often observe the tradeoff between immediate product viability and a 'no cutting corners' approach.

Taking the side of UX & a product-first mentality is Cooper Turley, a champion of the creator economy. Kevin Owocki—himself a schelling point for public goods—is defending decentralization and the merits of a values-first approach.

While exploring the roots of this tradeoff, we'll learn more about where we are as an ecosystem and where we are inevitably heading.

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------ Timestamps:

0:00 Intro 5:45 Decentralization vs. Usability 10:15 Learnings with New Users 19:19 How Will Crypto Change the World? 25:10 Not Compromising on Values 32:25 Do Users Care About Values? 36:00 Where/When to Compromise 39:13 The Importance of DevTooling 41:00 Crypto's Trojan Horse 43:36 What Good UX Looks Like 48:55 Lowest Hanging UX-Fruit 50:39 How This All Comes to Fruition 53:11 2022 Crypto W Wishlist

------ Resources:

Cooper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa

Kevin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/owocki

Foundation: https://foundation.app/

Soundxyz: https://www.sound.xyz/

Mirror: https://twitter.com/viamirror

Snapshot: https://snapshot.org/#/

Gnosis Safe: https://gnosis-safe.io/

----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures