Optimism

Voting App UX for a $40M Allocation of Retroactive Public Goods Funding,
  • Role

    Lead Product Designer
    with 1 additional designer
  • Timeline

    2023
    2 weeks
  • Category

    web3 app
    governance
    decentralized funding

The Challenge

Voters needed to allocate $40M+ USD across 200+ projects with uneven evidence, limited time, and irreversible outcomes. The core risk was not poor UI, but voter uncertainty, accidental allocations, and decision fatigue in a system where trust and legitimacy were critical to Optimism's credibility.

    Design Approach

  • Make system state immediately legible

    I helped redesign navigation and hierarchy so voters always understood where they were in the process, how much OP remained, and what actions were reversible vs final, reducing cognitive load in multi-session workflows.

  • Delay commitment to support deliberation

    We intentionally staged commitment by pushing 'Add to Ballot' and submission actions deeper into the flow, ensuring voters reviewed context before allocating funds and reducing accidental or premature decisions.

  • Improve comparison without oversimplifying impact

    I worked on filtering, sorting, and ballot-side comparison patterns, replacing percentage-based allocations with absolute OP values to reduce ambiguity while preserving nuanced evaluation.

  • Reinforce trust at irreversible moments

    At submission checkpoints, we emphasized review states, confirmations, and clear consequences to ensure voters felt confident at moments where actions could not be undone.

Results & Impact

$40M+ USD allocated
Over $40M in OP was allocated through the Round 3 voting experience.
200+ projects evaluated
Voters evaluated 200+ projects in a single round.
Reduced friction & clearer decisions
Voters reported easier, faster voting and less friction.