ZLayer – Own and Monetize Your Digital Self
Client
M0
Services
UX Design, Web Design, Landing Page Strategy, Narrative Design, Visual Direction, Logo & Branding Design
Industries
Web3, Data Ownership, Privacy, AI, Blockchain
Date
Feb 2025
Throughout this project, I led the Product and Visual Design of both the Landing Page and the ZLayer Platform MVP, with a focus on translating a technically rich, Web3-native product into a clear and rewarding user experience. Vision & Direction: The core idea was to create a decentralized data platform that empowers users to own, control, and monetize their data — while contributing to ethical AI ecosystems. The design needed to communicate this mission of digital sovereignty through both the product and the narrative-led website. My Role: As the Design Lead, I was responsible for: Defining the landing page structure and storytelling through mind maps and UX flows. Translating complex concepts like ZKPass and cross-chain validation into visually digestible sections. Directing visual assets (e.g. dashboard mockups, characters, gradients) to maintain a cohesive futuristic aesthetic. Leading design team sprints and reviews to ensure consistency across platform and marketing.
The final result was a cohesive Landing Page and MVP product that introduce users to a new era of data agency — one where control, privacy, and rewards are core to the experience. Key Challenges & Solutions: Narrative Clarity: Challenge: Conveying privacy, ownership, and rewards in a single scroll. Solution: Broke down the journey into 7+ modular sections covering data ownership, problem framing, tech solutions, and user benefits. Visual Consistency: Challenge: Maintaining a strong visual identity across the landing page, dashboard, and onboarding. Solution: Developed a modular component system (dark theme + neon gradients + ASCII-style illustrations). Design-to-Development Flow: Challenge: Bridging the complexity of Web3 features with dev timelines. Solution: Created detailed Figma specs, interaction guidelines, and Framer previews for faster handoff. Key Learnings: Designing for New Mental Models: Learning: Users don’t naturally understand decentralized data flow, ZKPs, or tokenized rewards. Implementation: Visual metaphors, process diagrams, and guided copy helped shape a simple onboarding narrative. Conversion Through Trust: Learning: Earning user trust in a Web3 product means reducing friction while explaining benefits clearly. Implementation: Created transparent callouts around privacy, data validation, and token utility. Collaboration at the Edge of Design x Crypto: Learning: Collaborating with engineers and PMs to align design intent with smart contract constraints. Implementation: Conducted syncs with core contributors to ensure that every UI component maps to actual on-chain logic. Thanks for taking the time to explore this project!