UX REVIEW: TOMOCHAIN WALLET

By Crypt_Malone

Due to popular demand I thought I would have a look at the Tomo wallet app that is available on both iOS and Android. Although I do not own any Tomo, I want to iterate that I am solely looking at the app from a user experience perspective. I am not analysing the tech or any other fundamentals of the Tomo project. I downloaded the app last week, created a wallet and had a snoop around the features. These are my first impressions…

But first what is TomoChain?

“TomoChain is an innovative solution to scalability problem with the Ethereum blockchain, and other blockchain platforms. TomoChain features a 150-Masternodes architecture with Proof of Stake Voting (POSV) consensus for near-zero fee, and instant transaction confirmation. Security, stability and chain finality are guaranteed via novel techniques such as double validation, staking via smart-contracts and uniform randomization processes.”

“TomoChain supports all EVM-compatible smart-contracts, protocols, and atomic cross-chain token transfers. Scaling techniques such as sharding, EVM parallelisation, private-chain generation, hardware integration will be continuously researched and integrated into TomoChain which will become an ideal scalable smart-contract public blockchain for decentralized apps, token issuance and token integration for small and big businesses.”

The TomoChain User Experience (UX)

a) A personal touch

Most of you reading this will of come from Twitter and will be well aware of the strength in numbers of the Tomo community. A strong community is something that people feel proud to be part of and something that people can connect too on a personal level. I feel like TomoChain were well aware of this when they introduced the TomoMaster feature to their app. TomoMaster shows the 150 masternodes that are essentially running the system where community members can vote for TomoMaster candidates. The owner of the masternode can also rename it adding more personal touch to the feature. It’s interactive, brings the community even closer and makes each member feel valued. It’s a smart but caring way to connect with their users.

b) Simplicity of the users main goal

When creating a product or service, the team must understand the users goal. ‘Why are they using our service?’ In this case I presume the main goal is to simply send and receive Tomo from friends or exchanges. Storing their Tomo securely in the official wallet. I found that sending and receiving Tomo was an extremely simple process. It’s the first thing you see on the homepage when you open the app which is perfect for users, followed by your transaction history just below which would logically follow in my opinion. The structure and order of the homepage has been thought out carefully just like the simplicity of the menu that you can see just below point C. Everything you can interact with on this app is all on one homepage which is a great example of a good UI.

The only thing I think could be improved on the homepage was the way TomoChain asked for feedback. As you can see on the screenshot below, the pop up message asking for feedback says ‘Do you love TomoWallet?’

This is what is known as a leading question as you are already putting positive connotations through the word ‘love’ into the readers head before they’ve even finished reading the question. Although we all feel good about reading positive feedback, it doesn’t help us improve nearly as much and that’s why I feel a question such as ‘What are your thoughts on TomoWallet?’ is much more neutral and will help gather a higher quality of feedback.

c) Combining security with simplicity

When creating my Tomo wallet it was as simple as a Ledger Nano S when it came to writing down words to use as back up phrases for the wallet. The user friendly instructions made it clear NOT too screenshot these 12 words which I think is extremely important for users to be made aware of, especially with new people entering the space and interacting with these wallets for the first time.

I then set up a passcode to make the app more secure but was even more impressed when I seen that Face ID had been integrated into the app (I am an iOS user). I find that Face ID adds value to a more seamless and smooth user experience whilst offering a higher level of security.

People may argue that the app could be more secure which may be true. However, we have to ensure that it is still user friendly as I feel it is important that users understand the security they are setting up rather than it being over complicated or too technical and potentially leading to more mistakes being made during the set up process.

d) D-APP Browser improvements

I’m sorry Tomo community but the D-APP browser could be made much more user friendly and I will explain why. But before I explain, I would like to say that I am aware that this is a relatively new feature and I would expect the Tomo team to be making continuous improvements to this anyway.

I believe the browser gives the app more purpose and functionality, which I like, but the team need to work on the UI a little more.

The hidden address bar is very difficult to regain access to which is rather frustrating. Although it may look slick with it hidden, in my opinion it’s just not practical for the average user.

There is no back button on the browser which again makes it extremely difficult for the average user to navigate. It even prevents you getting back to the homepage of the TomoWallet itself. At first I was closing the app down to start again before I realised you can swipe left (if you can get the swiping technique right) to go back a few pages. But generally, it does creates a bad user experience.

Conclusion

I must iterate that this isn’t the end of the world. It isn’t the main feature or the main purpose for users to interact with the TomoWallet, but there are improvements that can be made. Conclusion All in all I think the TomoWallet is a great app for the Tomo community in particular. It ticks a lot of boxes and shows that they have worked with the user to get to where they are today. It does exactly what the average user will need it to do. Send, receive and store $TOMO.

Article written by Crypt_Malone

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Article was originally published on Medium