The Future of Web3 UX
Crypto has come a long way.
We’ve seen smart contracts, scalable rollups, real-world assets, and even frog-themed memecoins hit center stage, but there’s still one big thing holding the space back, and that’s usability.
Even in 2025, most crypto apps still feel like using the internet in the 1990s.
Users are expected to:
- Switch between different blockchain networks,
- Use separate wallets,
- Manually bridge tokens,
- Pay gas fees in different coins,
- And figure out why a transaction failed, on their own.
For crypto to go mainstream, that needs to change. That’s why we’re seeing a new trend across the industry, and this problem introduces the topic chain abstraction.
What Is Chain Abstraction?
Chain abstraction is the idea that users shouldn’t need to care which blockchain they’re using.
Instead of being asked to switch networks or bridge assets, users just interact with the app, and the app handles everything behind the scenes.
Just like when you use Spotify or YouTube, and don’t know which server your video is hosted on or which data center it’s coming from.
That's where crypto is headed: a chainless future, where the tech is invisible and the experience just works.
Why is this Important?
The reason chain abstraction matters is that the current experience of users is terrible.
Let’s use an example:
You’re using an app built on Ethereum, but you want to buy an NFT that’s on Polygon. To do this, you’ll probably need to:
Bridge your ETH to Polygon (with a 10–15 minute wait).
Switch your wallet network to Polygon.
Approve the transaction in MATIC.
Hope everything works and nothing gets stuck.
Each of those steps is a point where users drop off.
But imagine doing all of that with one click, no bridging, no switching networks, no gas fees.
Just click “buy,” and it happens.
That’s the future chain abstraction promises. And many of the most forward-thinking crypto teams are already building toward it.
Who’s Leading the Race to Bring in Chain Abstraction?
Let’s look at the protocols bringing in this new era of invisible infrastructure.
1. Messaging Protocols: Connecting Chains Behind the Scenes
Projects like LayerZero, Axelar, Union, and Wormhole help move more than just tokens between chains. They allow apps to send messages, function calls, and even contract logic across chains.
For example, if you use a DeFi app on Arbitrum, it could use LayerZero or Axelar to move funds or trigger actions on Ethereum, Optimism, or Avalanche, without you doing anything.
- LayerZero is known for enabling omnichain smart contracts.
- Axelar powers general message passing with security guarantees.
- Union lets developers send “packets” containing proofs and data, enabling complex multi-chain actions to be bundled together.
These messaging protocols are the pipes of the cross-chain internet.
2. Shared Sequencers: Making Cross-Chain Transactions Smoother
To allow users to do things across chains (like lending on one and borrowing on another), you need a way to order those actions reliably.
That’s what shared sequencers do.
They make sure that your actions, like sending funds from one chain and immediately using them on another, can happen safely, atomically, and without delay.
Projects building this include:
- Catalyst by Espresso,
- Skip Protocol (Cosmos),
- Mitosis, which combines shared sequencing with modular execution.
3. Wallet & Account Abstraction: Making Wallets Smarter
Another major piece of the puzzle is the wallet experience.
Right now, most wallets are chain-specific. They require manual network switching, gas fees in different tokens, and separate approvals.
Protocols like:
- Particle Network
- Biconomy
- ZeroDev
- Privy
…are changing this by offering modular accounts.
These allow users to:
- Use apps across chains without switching networks,
- Pay gas in any token (or no token at all),
- Batch multiple transactions into one click.
Wallets are the front door to crypto. And a smarter wallet means a better user journey for everyone.
4. Intent-Based Apps: You Tell the App What You Want, It Figures Out How
One of the most exciting parts of the cross-chain UX innovation is intent-based design.
In intent-based apps, you don’t say how to do something; you just say what you want to happen.
For example: “I want to swap USDC for SOL.” The app figures out the best way to do that across chains, bridges, and liquidity pools, without you needing to lift a finger.
This design philosophy is being explored by:
- Anoma (a fully intent-based architecture),
- Berachain’s mini-apps like PuffPaw and Beraplay,
- ZetaChain, which supports omnichain smart contracts,
- Particle, using intent handling via modular wallets.
Intent-based design puts users at the center and lets the app handle the complexity.
What’s the Benefit of All This?
Chain abstraction doesn’t just sound good. It has real benefits for the entire crypto ecosystem.
For Users:
- One-click experiences,
- No need to bridge or switch chains,
- There’s less confusion, which brings more confidence.
For Developers:
- You can build once and deploy everywhere,
- Tap into liquidity across multiple ecosystems,
- Attract more users with smoother onboarding.
For the Ecosystem:
- There’s less fragmentation,
- Stronger network effects,
- Higher retention and app usage.
The apps that make this leap will feel as smooth as Web2, while offering Web3’s power and only a few teams know this.
What's Next for Web3 UX?
No single project will win the UX game alone. But here’s what success looks like:
- Apps that don’t ask users to switch chains or approve multiple times,
- Wallets that handle gas, batching, and security behind the scenes,
- Infrastructure that’s invisible but reliable.
The next dominant apps in crypto will be the ones where the user doesn’t even know what chain they’re on.
As the saying goes:
"The best UI is no UI." In crypto, the best UX might just be no chain.
Conclusion
We’ve had the scalability race. We’ve had the L2 wars. We’ve had the memecoin mania.
But the real challenge is making it all usable.
Chain abstraction isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore, it’s important. The protocols working toward this aren’t just building tools, they’re shaping the future of how crypto will be used by millions of users.
Chain abstraction is important, but check out some articles on Mitosis.
That's all for now.
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