ZLayer – Own and Monetize Your Digital Self
Client
M0
Services
UX Design, Web Design, Landing Page Strategy, Narrative Design, Visual Direction
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!