Web3 is still too complex. How do we make it accessible for everyone?

Community
,
1

Hello, Dfinity community!

This is our first post here, and we come with a question that’s been bothering us: How do we make digital asset management as easy as using Gmail, without compromising security and decentralization?

The Problem We See

Most people are still scared of Web3 because:

  • They need to remember 12-24 word seed phrases (and not lose them!)
  • Every address mistake means lost money
  • Each blockchain requires a different wallet
  • Lose your seed phrase = lose everything forever

Question for you: What are the most painful problems you encounter in your daily work with cryptocurrencies and DeFi?

Our Idea: KONG Wallet DAMS

We’re developing a decentralized identity management system on Internet Computer that aims to solve these problems:

The Key Innovation

Instead of relying only on seed phrases, we use a 3-of-5 recovery scheme:

  • 2 parts stored encrypted in IC
  • 3 parts managed by you (locally, in cloud, with a friend)
  • Lose 2 out of 5 parts? You can still recover your account!

Simplified Registration

  • Login with email, Google, or Telegram (as you’re used to)
  • Automatic management of multiple blockchain addresses
  • One identity for the entire Web3

The Dilemma We Face

We’re facing a difficult dilemma and want your opinion:

Security vs. Ease of Use

We can make the system maximally secure (self-hosted keys, full user control), but that makes it complex. Or we can simplify it (managed services, fewer steps), but that reduces decentralization.

How would you balance these two aspects? Where would you draw the line?

Specific Questions for the Community

  1. For developers: Do you see technical problems in our approach? What could go wrong?
  2. For users: What features would make you try a new Web3 service? What stops you today?
  3. For the community: What mistakes do new projects make here? How can we avoid them?
  4. For everyone: Would you participate in beta testing such a system? What would motivate you?

Technical Details (for those interested)

For those who want more technical details:

  • Platform: Internet Computer with Rust canisters
  • Architecture: Sharded system for scalability
  • Security: Verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) for recovery
  • Integration: JWT/JWKS for external services
  • Identity: Self-sovereign DID based on IC Principal

The full technical stack includes Saga Pattern for consistency, atomic operations, and idempotency protection.

Where We Are Now

  • Beta version in active development (Q2 2025)
  • Core libraries are ready
  • Testing routing and sharding logic
  • Planning integrations with external services

We Need Your Help

This isn’t a promotional post - we’re genuinely seeking feedback from the community before finalizing the architecture.

What do you think is the most important thing we need to get right?

Thank you for your time and we hope for constructive discussion! :rocket:

P.S. We’ll be sharing regular updates here. If you want to follow progress or participate in beta testing, let us know!

5 Likes
2

I think for users, we want an experience that’s seamless and minimally different from Web3. The goal is to make it so we can’t really tell that it’s on a blockchain. Any performance impacts would be offset by the user experience (e.g. the ability to trade ETH stablecoins w/ BTC, a polished web interface with many different logins) and any model sustainable with revenue from userbase.

Having the option of the managed service upon sign up gives choice to those that are more hardcore about the “not your keys” paradigm, as well as to those that just want to “sign up and hit play I’ll worry about the keys later.” Because adoption and sustainable revenue may come at the expense of more centralization, but centralization can make things easier like liquidity, protection of funds, etc. Thanks to ICP, the worry of hacks becomes far less than Web2.

Something I brought up somewhere else was the ability to recover lost funds in the event the canister was frozen. That should be a standard with wallets and DEXs. That kind of option shouldn’t be given right upfront, but instead in some settings menu.

So those are my ideas. Make it easy for someone to just sign up and use with safety of mind, and give options for the power users to take control of their destiny.

1 Like
3

I really think that logging in on the Internet Computer is very easy.
To me, it feels more like logging into a bank account than using a typical app.
I don’t like using email or other methods to log in, since I can’t think of any bank account that uses them. The Internet Computer feels more like a secure bank account than just another application.
The only thing I miss is the ability to recover access without having to save seed phrases.

1 Like
4

I don’t understand what is difficult to create an internet identity and then use it to log in with it.

Instead of reinventing the wheel and being stuck in web 2.5 educate people on how to use II.

It seems we also trying to go back because there is a learning curve with new tech. Using the example above with logging into your bank account, remember the days with the token generator where you had to put your card in it? People were complaining left and right but security always comes first, no matter what. People are used to it now and it’s as easy as using your II. :wink:

5

I agree with this. Its not about the complexity any more infact I don’t think I know of an easier way to integrate into a blockchain and authenticate to a website than II on ICP. Maybe some native browser that gets you to set one up in the future and your set there and then to login to all things on the internet with one initial setup.

That being said Internet Identity is unknown and unfamiliar to most. When trying to sign up to something the last thing people want is to learn about a new sign in method unless its the only option available to use and the dapp is attractive. Hence why most dapps provide now 5+ methods to login because every step (barriers) in-between, 50% of users leave - but this is messy.

I think if we want Internet Identity to be the standard. The focus needs to be on some really nice attractive mainstream dapps and platforms with it being the only or preferred option. Ideally some web2 platform such as X (maybe Kimbal can shill icp II to his brother) can pioneer in using it. This will build familiarity and it should unveil its superiority and spread this way. Once people have one and understand they can use it on multiple platforms then the road is set. The issue is people still have the mind set that an account you create on a particular website is only for that website. Obviously this isn’t the case with II.

6

Really appreciated your thoughts — you hit the heart of what we’re trying to build with KONG Wallet. The idea that blockchain should be invisible, and UX should lead the way, has been our guiding principle from the start.

On cross-chain trading: we’re starting with SOL↔TON↔ICP in Q3, then adding ETH, BNB, and BTC in Q4. Just like you said — swapping ETH stablecoins for BTC without thinking about bridges, wallets, or juggling gas tokens. It should just work.

As for the “sign up and play” approach — absolutely. That’s why we offer login via email, Google, or Telegram. Behind the scenes, our DAMS (Decentralized Account Management System) handles the complexity. And when users are ready, they can move into full self-custody.
We’re actually designing that transition as a task list during wallet creation, instead of a hidden option buried in settings. Things like:

  • Enable recovery
  • Back up your seed
  • Review your recovery shares
  • Transition to full control

That way, users aren’t overwhelmed, but they’re gently guided toward full sovereignty if they choose it.

On recovery — our system is called RAS (Recovery Account System). It’s based on Verifiable Secret Sharing (3-of-5 model). Two of the five shares are stored encrypted by DAMS (we can’t see the contents), and the remaining three are managed by the user: one on their device, one in Ceramic, one in IPFS. So you don’t have to trust any one party, but you’re also not left on your own.

Sustainability-wise, we plan to roll out account abstraction with fee payments in our native token (at a 50% discount) in Q2 2026 — better UX + sustainable revenue.

One thing I’d love your take on: does this “checklist” model for transitioning to full control during onboarding feel like the right balance? We’re trying to keep it intuitive, not pushy.

Would be great to have you in our closed beta this September — feedback from someone thinking on this level would mean a lot. :folded_hands:

1 Like
7

You’re spot on here. II on ICP is probably the most elegant auth method I’ve seen — no passwords, no phishing, strong crypto. But… as you said, that’s not enough. If the UX feels unfamiliar, most people drop off before realizing how good the tech actually is.

That’s why in KONG Wallet we’re taking the approach of “getting users there without telling them where they’re going.” We start with familiar login methods — Google, email, Telegram — but under the hood, it’s setting up a DAMS account. Later on, the user can gradually move toward full self-custody, including II. So they get convinced first, then educated.

Totally agree though — we’ll eventually need some mainstream dapps where II is the only (or clearly best) option. I can absolutely imagine that “aha!” moment when a Web2 giant adopts it, and suddenly everyone gets it — and then things take off.

Until then, we’re focused on building a smooth bridge between what users know and what’s possible.

3 Likes
8

I like the sounds of this. Cubetopia is starting to pick up steam in the Web2 gaming side of things, but there’s no easy way for us to funnel this attention back into the IC… Ideally everything is abstracted away, users sign in with whatever is familiar to them (google, steam, email, facebook…) and this sets up a wallet under the hood. I know people wont like relying on these web2 services but the reality is simple: its a compromise we MUST make to onboard the next generation to crypto.

Want to see an example of this working amazingly well, with a fantastic interface? Check out Abstract’s Global Wallet. Something similar to this on the IC would be an absolute game changer…

2 Likes
9

**That’s exactly what we’re building!

You absolutely get the essence of the compromise we need to make. Web3 purists might not like it, but mass adoption requires meeting users where they are - not where we think they should be.

About Abstract’s Global Wallet - thanks for the recommendation! Their approach is brilliant, and yes, that’s exactly the UX we’re targeting for IC. Seamless social login → instant wallet creation → invisible blockchain interactions.

That’s exactly what we’re building, but on the Internet Computer blockchain. The entire system is built from canisters and the communication between them. You log in and receive access and refresh tokens, which external APIs can interact with seamlessly.

Currently we’ve focused on login methods with email, Google and Telegram, but the architecture allows easy addition of others - including Steam, Discord or whatever is needed for gaming projects like Cubetopia.

Unlike Abstract (which is EVM-focused), we’re building this natively on Internet Computer** with all its advantages - true web speed and superior security.

1 Like
10

i think the 12-seed is so much easier than the passkey. i had to buy a new computer and spent days to find a passkey tool afterwards for ubuntu.

give users a choice.

1 Like
11

Screenshot 2025-05-30 at 19.07.36
Screenshot 2025-05-30 at 19.07.36364×677 115 KB

Screenshot showing our mobile site/Telegram mini-app with multiple login methods!

12

Exactly! But if you’re logging in on a new device and entering those 12 words every time, it’s not very user-friendly. That’s why we designed it for daily use: Social login (email/Google/Telegram) + our VSS recovery system, while you keep your seed phrase safely written down. This way, control always remains with you - true self custody without the daily friction.

13

but using google is a privacy catastrophy.

your login options all in combination with 2FA of course?

14

Yes, we have 2FA. Crypto is money, so security is very important. The question is how to convince users to enable and use it. We’ll use the following approach - after registration there will be an onboarding process for beginner users with tasks, like enabling and using 2FA, and if you complete them you earn from our token. As for Google, many users I’ve talked to want it and say that Google login is very easy and they prefer to use it, so we added it. Here the question stands - how to use a wallet securely while having easy login at the same time.

1 Like
15

i just realized, your wallet is on a mobil. that in itself is crazily insecuree, no?

16

You’re totally right to be thinking about mobile security — it’s a big deal, and we’ve built our system to handle it from the ground up. We don’t store your private keys on the phone — ever — the keys live inside our decentralized system, not on your device. Even if someone gets into your phone, they’re only seeing 1 out of 5 secret shares thanks to VSS, which isn’t enough to do anything with your wallet. We also require two-factor authentication, so just having your phone isn’t enough to break in.And because everything runs on the Internet Computer, we’re not exposed to typical mobile exploits — the whole system’s built on secure, tamper-proof infrastructure.

17

is this whole thread an advertising plot?

18

Not at all - I am not here to advertise the project, but to get genuine opinions because the core of our project will be built on Internet Computer blockchain.