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9. Tenderfoot Explorer: Curious Columbus

  • Learning the ropes with dedication, planting seeds of cautious Web3 adoption in the promising crypto lands Newcomer/Curious Explorer (Tarot: Page of Pentacles)

  • tl;dr

    The Crypto Newcomer/Curious Explorer is learning-focused, starting with small investments and trusted educational sources.

    • Gravitates toward user-friendly, low-risk Web3-adjacent technology that is quick to onboard
    • Voraciously consumes new Web3 event information and analytics, Web3 basic videos, Reddit threads, and frequently haunts AMAs and educational discussions on Discord
    • Interested in early bird airdrops and farming inspired by success tweets and alpha trailblazing accounts of Web3 quests but lacks the technical depth or know how to jump into Web3 waters
    • Swamped with confusing raw data, wary of scams and technical complexity
    • Operates on the boundaries of drop-off zone, cautious, growth-oriented mindset that borders on curiosity with pragmatism
    • Hooked by the promise of empowerment and accessibility, nearly 70% have strong adoption intent in emerging markets
    • Envied by Web3 veterans as their 'fresh eyes' perspective often catalyzes new Web3 usecases and spearheads technology evolution such as 'swap' feature
    • Interested in investing only in stablecoins and the leading, trustworthy blockchain protocols but open to investing their time into trying newer protocols

  • Characteristics

    • Learning-focused approach
    • Risk-averse initial behavior
    • Seeking trusted sources and education
    • Small initial investments
    • Motivated by FOMO on a growing financial trend

  • Behavior Patterns

    • Asks basic questions in forums
    • Follows the herd, doesn't have strong opinions
    • Follows educational content creators
    • Starts with major cryptocurrencies, small investments
    • Explores newer sectors gradually, likes layered approach to consumption
    • Heavily relies on peer recommendations and social proof

  • Pain Points

    • Information overload
    • Confusing raw data and terminology
    • High transaction costs for small transfer amounts
    • Absence of standards, regulation
    • Scam awareness, lack of regulatory norms
    • Technical complexity and jargon

  • Engagement Hooks

    • Learning-focused
    • Gradual increase in activity
    • Gaming oriented learning experiences

  • Primary Platforms

    • Reddit r/CryptoCurrency
    • YouTube
    • Mainstream CEXs
    • Educational Discord servers
    • Curated TL;Drs, "learn and earn" modules, for example, Coinbase/Gemini Education Programs

  • Tech Affinity

    • SocialFi Platforms: Attracted to participating in decentralized networks, token-gated communities that builds gradual social engagement and rewards for achieving milestones
    • High Affinity for CEXs: User-friendly interfaces, educational content, engaged customer support, and security emphasis of Coinbase, Binance, Kraken encourages new traders
    • Learning Enabler Platforms: 30% new crypto holders are in Web3 due to sheer interest in technology, affinity for educational content, JIT wizards, step-by-step tutorials, basic terminology explanations, safety guides
    • Mainstream Financial Integration: Familiar interfaces of traditional investment approaches such as Bitcoin ETFs, PayPal crypto, Cash App Bitcoin
    • Portfolio Management: Basic monitoring, tracking, price alerts, basic analytics that abstracts Web3 technical complexity
    • Hardware Wallets: Preferred by risk-aversive advanced beginners for security, self-custody, privacy and autonomy reasons
    • Chain Abstraction, ZKPs & Layer-2: Multi-chain and multi-ecosystem fluidity, enhanced privacy, lower gas, scalability, and speed
    • AI-driven Onboarding: Automates KYC/privacy, counters scam fears, builds trust in newcomers, especially women (as per survey)

How to Target?

  • Tenderfoot Explorer Mindset

    • Short attention span, intolerance to high-friction systems
    • Cautiously optimistic learning orientation
    • Safety-first security consciousness, trust-seeking mindset, gravitates to established exchanges, high-quality creators rather than obscure DEXs or unknown Web3 projects
    • Heavily influenced by peer recommendations, look for community guidance
    • View crypto through traditional investment lens rather than as a revolutionary technology
    • Prefer step-by-step progression instead of deep dives
    • Build confidence with smaller successes before large commitments
    • Resilient adaptability and long term optimism

  • Tenderfoot Explorer Motivation

    • Learning & Self-improvement: Acquiring new practical skillset that brings in future advantages, upside, innovation curiosity, desire to be ready for future financial shifts
    • Ownership & Self-sovereignty: Financial accessibility, control over data and assets
    • Community Collaboration: Sense of belonging, social validation, being part of Web3 as a collective that enables active participation in projects, governance, and being with like-minded individuals
    • Utility over Hype: Driven to projects with tangible utility and innovative incentives that offer a way to be at the forefront of new Web3 narratives and gain from first mover advantage
    • Convenience: Ease of cross-border payments, small speculative opportunities, exposure to newer financial systems, DeFi

  • Tenderfoot Explorer Must-Have

    • Progressive UX: Custodial first, teach self-custody later, quick on-ramp, intuitive UI, educational integrations, single click buys
    • Security: Strong trust signals, building trust with visible security is a primary adoption gate, regulatory compliance, 2FA, fee transparency, fraud protection, in-app scam warnings, contract verification, and basic heuristics
    • Learning: Gradual, layered learning paths with social proofs and badges, beginner mode, micro-learning byte sized modules with assessments, demo mode (testnet) for safe experimentation
    • Trust: Brand recognition, social proof, audits, reputations
    • Zero-to-no-fees: Bootstrapping incentives, onboarding simplicity
    • Community Support: Active community support channels, familiarity-first social onboarding

Action Plan

  • Research & Refine: Do your own research. Use this template to guide your design, documentation and product feature decisions. The lack of formal UX research reports in Web3 is a testament that this is an underexplored area where original research could provide significant competitive advantage.
  • Design Philosophy: Mobile-first, user-centric, iterative design that evolves rapidly with user feedback and analytics. Active refinement of the user onboarding journey through analytics. Monitor where users hesitate, drop off, or encounter errors.
  • Communication Style: Preference for short digestible educational content, core values and not hype. Focus your messaging on the benefits of decentralization, ownership, and privacy, which are the core drivers of this audience. Active community engagement to build trust and address pain points directly. Regular AMA sessions, pinned beginner guides, verified moderator responses, peer communities matter to this audience.
  • Product Features: Familiar login options to start with, non-custodial wallets with gas abstraction, bridge to self-custody, interactive demos and tutorials, learning with incentives, social recovery, ability to export to hardware wallets. Note that adoption patterns vary by country so tailor on-ramps and regulatory guidance by region.

See Also