The subsidiary recently awarded a grant to a developer aiming to make crypto wallets more accessible to everyone
The user-friendly crypto wallet will help increase crypto adoption and give newbies a gentle curve when they join. The company posted the news via Twitter, revealing that Maggie Valentine, a designer from blockchain start-up she256, was the beneficiary of the grant. The outcome of the project will be posted in the Bitcoin Design Guide under ‘Best Practices.’
The announcement posted by the company read, “Giving trick-or-treaters Open Dimes and Square Crypto grants this year. Speaking of which, this one goes to Maggie Valentine (@magglevalentine), a designer working to simplify wallet onboarding flows by reducing technical jargon and increasing user education”.
Valentine is tasked with researching the usability of Bitcoin by even the most basic user. She will also explore the intricacy involved in the user-experience of the wallets.
An excerpt from her proposal to Square reads, “…The current state of products and experiences within this industry creates strong barriers to entry; wallet onboarding flows are often saturated with technical jargon, unfamiliar user concepts, and little-to-no education. Unless equipped with a technical background, users are often deterred from reaping the benefits this technology has to offer”.
Valentine highlighted private keys and seed phrases as the main stumbling blocks to potential investors who are not crypto savvy. The grant will help her investigate the overall users’ behavior in regards to the aforementioned elements that are crucial to Bitcoin’s non-custodial storage.
The project’s thesis is founded on Valentine’s past work with Celo, an open platform whose goal is to establish a financial system that will ensure the prosperity of every individual. Valentine worked as a product design intern at Celo between June and September.
The previous grant awarded by Square Crypto (to Riccardo Cassata) was announced on Oct 23rd – about a week before the current one. The grants demonstrate Square’s effort in pushing for the wider adoption of crypto, particularly Bitcoin.
Square is headed by Twitter’s CEO and Bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey. Last month, Square announced it had invested a sum of $50 million in crypto by purchasing 4,709 BTC.