During my time at MetaMask, I led the design of Buy & Sell across mobile and desktop while helping shape the extension experience through cross-platform design direction. The product connected users with third-party providers to purchase and sell digital assets, each operating under different regional, financial, and compliance requirements. My work focused on creating scalable systems that balanced provider flexibility, user trust, and a consistent experience across markets.
METAMASK
METAMASK
2024
Designing and scaling one of the world's largest self-custody transaction experiences.
ROLE
DESIgn Lead
Scale
30M+ Monthly Active Users
Timeline
2021–2024
Platforms
Mobile, Desktop
Focus
Payments, Marketplace Design
Team
PM, Engineering, Research, Content Design
Responsibilities
Product Strategy, UX Architecture, Provider Integrations
The Challenge
Buy & Sell wasn't a single flow, it was an ecosystem of providers, payment methods, and regional requirements.
Visualizing the ecosystem
Each provider introduced unique onboarding requirements, payment methods, transaction limits, fee structures, and compliance workflows. Mapping the experience helped identify where users encountered friction, how provider variability affected the journey, and which patterns could be standardized across the ecosystem.
USER RESEARCH
Understanding how users evaluated providers, compared offers, and built trust throughout the transaction journey.
Research Approach
We conducted interviews with users across varying levels of experience to better understand how they evaluated providers, compared transaction options, and navigated the purchasing process. While needs differed by region, payment preferences, and familiarity with crypto, several recurring themes emerged. These insights reinforced findings from the journey mapping exercise and helped shape the product strategy moving forward.
Key findings
Research revealed four systemic barriers preventing users from completing transactions confidently: recovering from failed paths, understanding total cost, anticipating requirements, and trusting provider handoffs.
What we learned
Through user interviews, journey mapping, and competitive analysis, we examined how people selected providers, evaluated costs, and built confidence throughout the purchasing journey. While behaviors varied across markets and experience levels, recurring patterns emerged that revealed where the experience was creating friction.
From insights to strategy
With a clearer understanding of user needs, we shifted focus from identifying problems to defining what a successful experience should provide.
DECISION FRAMEWORK
Rather than designing screens immediately, I mapped each user need to specific product requirements across the purchasing journey. This framework helped prioritize opportunities, align stakeholders, and ensure every feature addressed a validated user problem. It also created a shared foundation for evaluating design decisions as the product expanded across providers, payment methods, and regions.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
***Understanding how users compare options and build trust required looking beyond crypto products alone.
competitive analysis
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
early validation
Before investing engineering resources into a new solution, I built and tested an early prototype using MetaMask's existing design system to validate core assumptions, identify friction points, and inform priorities for an MVP.
PARTICIPANT MIX
To capture a broad range of behaviors and expectations, testing included participants from MetaMask's most active markets across North America, Europe, Africa, and South America. Users ranged from novice to advanced crypto investors, providing insight into how experience level influenced decision-making throughout the purchasing journey. The findings informed the development of an MVP that was launched to validate the experience at scale and gather real-world behavioral data.
design evolution
Analysis of MVP performance, behavioral metrics, and user feedback identified where design investment would have the greatest impact on confidence and conversion, helping prioritize improvements across the purchasing journey:
1. Token Selection
Before:
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
After:
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
After:
2. Amount Entry
Before:
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
After:
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
After:
3. Payment Method selection
Before:
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
After:
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
After:
4. Quote Comparison
Before:
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
After:
I analyzed both direct and indirect competitors to understand how users evaluated options, compared offers, and developed trust throughout the transaction process. While marketplace products informed provider selection patterns, exchanges and consumer platforms revealed proven approaches for reducing complexity, communicating tradeoffs, and increasing confidence during decision-making.
After:
the final experience
The final MVP standardized how users selected assets, configured purchases, evaluated providers, and completed transactions while preserving flexibility across regions and payment methods.
Desktop Experience
As Buy & Sell expanded, the same decision-making model scaled to desktop environments where users could compare providers, review transaction details, and manage purchases across larger, information-dense interfaces.
user validation
Before committing engineering resources, I validated critical assumptions through interactive prototypes and user testing.
Desktop Experience
As Buy & Sell expanded, the same decision-making model scaled to desktop environments where users could compare providers, review transaction details, and manage purchases across larger, information-dense interfaces.
PROTOTYPING & USABILITY TESTING
I developed a prototype based on user interviews and conducted usability testing with participants of varying crypto experience levels. Key feedback highlighted concerns about fee transparency, which affected user confidence. While users appreciated the ability to compare providers, navigating numerous payment options led to decision fatigue. This indicates a need to simplify choices and assist users in selecting the best option for their needs. Although users generally trusted the third-party providers linked to MetaMask, many expressed discomfort about being redirected without clearly suggesting that this would occur when selecting those options. This feedback is vital for guiding our future design iterations.
DESIGNING FOR DESKTOP
At the time, the MetaMask portfolio (pDapp) was still in its early stages. While designing the buy/sell feature, I also helped establish the portfolio's design system to ensure consistency across all MetaMask products. This included setting standards for typography, color palette, icons, and components to support future development.
DASHBOARD - WEBSITE
While the mobile app prioritizes speed, in contrast, the Portfolio (pDapp) provides a more comprehensive view, allowing users to analyze their assets and make informed buying and selling decisions within a broader context.
visualizing THE USER JOURNEY
I created a user flow as a visual mapping of the steps users take when interacting with the buy feature. This representation helped both developers and stakeholders understand how users navigate from start to finish. By visualizing user journeys, we were able to gain insights into user needs and preferences, allowing us to refine and enhance the overall user experience.
Select your region
Available payment methods based on region provides key information, such as the estimated time to receive their crypto and spending limits. This helps users make informed choices, reducing drop-offs and improving the ability to filter provider quotes that best suit their needs.
SOLUTION: ONE PAGE DEsign
The flexibility of an easy token selection, custom or preselected spend amounts, and the ability to change fiat currencies reduces friction by consolidating key decisions in one place, streamlining the buying process.
SOLUTION: REDUCE DECISION FATIGue
Building on previous insights, we've reduced the number of provider quotes to three options, sorted by the best rate and/or previously used, to minimize decision fatigue. Users can still access the full list of providers if desired.
DESIGNING FOR DESKTOP
At the time, the MetaMask portfolio (pDapp) was still in its early stages. While designing the buy/sell feature, I also helped establish the portfolio's design system to ensure consistency across all MetaMask products. This included setting standards for typography, color palette, icons, and components to support future development.
DASHBOARD - WEBSITE
While the mobile app prioritizes speed, in contrast, the Portfolio (pDapp) provides a more comprehensive view, allowing users to analyze their assets and make informed buying and selling decisions within a broader context.
component Variants & GUIDELINES
The design system consists of reusable components like buttons, forms, and navigation elements that streamline the design and development process. By leveraging these components across various parts of the product, we save both time and effort. Additionally, the system includes guidelines for using these elements, addressing layout, spacing, and other design aspects, which helps maintain consistency and coherence throughout the product. This ultimately enhances the user experience and fosters a unified brand identity.
Impact
79.5%^
In just three years, MetaMask has increased its global coverage for buying crypto by 79.5%, expanding from 34 to 189 countries. This means that about 96.9% of the world can now access MetaMask. This rapid expansion reflects its goal to become the primary Web3 gateway worldwide.
$140M+
In its best quarter, MetaMask recorded $140 million in revenue solely from its buying feature, marking a record high and reflecting its strong financial performance.
500%^
MetaMask expanded its user base from 5 million in 2020 to 30 million in 2023, showcasing a remarkable 500% increase in user adoption during that time.
