Creating and evolving the identity of a growing community
TEAM
Alain Brenzikofer (Client), Gesa Feldhusen, Malik el Bay, Mirko Fischli, Stephan Hartmann, Andreas Braendle, Ruben Feurer
MY ROLE
UX Design Lead, Community Leader, Photographer, Communication Specialist
The Encointer association introduced the digital local currency 'Leu' in Zurich in 2022, combining unconditional basic income with a blockchain-based, proof-of-personhood-generated currency. More than 25 acceptance points have joined in Zurich, with more than 1600 users. As demand grew, initial design decisions became barriers. I joined the project to facilitate the shift from product focus to community representation, redefining Leu's identity in the process. Key elements were simplifying the web presence for all ages and languages, representing the diverse community of users, and creating a strong and independent brand.
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Keywords:
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Blockchain, Community Resilience, Organic Growth, Local Currencies, Sustainability, Macro-Economy,
Challenge:
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Creating and evolving the identity of a growing community
Team:
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Alain Brenzikofer (Client), Gesa Feldhusen, Malik el Bay, Mirko Fischli, Stephan Hartmann, Andreas Braendle, Ruben Feurer
My Role:
✹
UX Design Lead, Community Leader, Photographer, Communication Specialist
Duration:
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8 Months
Synopsis
The Encointer association introduced the digital local currency 'Leu' in Zurich in 2022, combining unconditional basic income with a blockchain-based, proof-of-personhood-generated currency. More than 25 acceptance points have joined in Zurich, with more than 1600 users. As demand grew, initial design decisions became barriers. I joined the project to facilitate the shift from product focus to community representation, redefining Leu's identity in the process. Key elements were simplifying the web presence for all ages and languages, representing the diverse community of users, and creating a strong and independent brand.
In the ever-evolving landscape of crypto currencies and the quest for a universal basic income, the concept of proving one's uniqueness and humanity identity digitally is gaining increasing relevance. "Worldcoin," led by Sam Altman and Alex Blania, promises this global economic access and a digital proof of human identity. However, it being a privately owned company and its quest to establish an immutable digital identification system through iris scanning have raised eyebrows.
I agree that basic income and a way to prove our uniqueness and humanity online will become highly relevant in the future. How to do that? People can confirm each other as human beings.
Alain Brenzikofer, Founder of Encointer on Worldcoin
An illustration made with AI that depicts the influence of worldcoin
In contrast, an innovative solution has emerged in Zurich. "Leu", a blockchain-based local currency, leverages a unique "Proof of Personhood" (uPoP) mechanism for secure currency minting. This groundbreaking concept predates even the Worldcoin’s model, solidifying the Leu's status as an industry pioneer. The currency has witnessed remarkable growth; over 30 establishments in Zurich now accept Leu, with more than 1,600 users on board. Interestingly, Leu's circulation rate surpassed even that of the Swiss Franc.
But what implications does this swift adoption hold for community-centric design and engagement?
02
Research
... by the people (Think)
Initially, Leu’s visual identity bore a striking resemblance to Zurich's corporate design. However, as the Leu community burgeoned, these elements began to feel restrictive and impersonal. The challenge? To evolve Leu's brand into something that resonated with a growing, diverse community.
The first cycle took place when Leu was still unknown in Zurich.
Joining the project around this juncture, I witnessed firsthand the hurdles we needed to overcome. The initial brand assets impeded the development of a clear online presence, rendering it less engaging for existing members and less trustworthy for potential newcomers - the last point being critical since money gains its value through trust. An overview of the old page can be found below. Our mission was therefore twofold:
1. Re-envision Leu not merely as a product but as a representation of its vibrant community.
2. Craft an inclusive brand that resonated with a broad audience, emphasizing participation, while keeping a similar brand identity.
We adopted a Lean UX approach, prioritizing iterative learning and user experience. By concentrating more on iterative learning, overall user experience, and customer results and less on the theoretically perfect design, Lean User Experience (Lean UX) is a team-based method to creating better products. By analyzing data from our website, social media channels, newsletters, and gathering insights from both project insiders and outsiders, we identified our core areas of focus: fostering community engagement, enhancing visual and navigational coherence, and integrating the community into our design. Our KPIs included Page Views, Unique Visitors, and Engagement during our Community Events. Additionally, we aimed for the bazaar section, where people could view Leu offers, to be at least the third most viewed page.
Fostering the Community: fostering community engagement
Enhancing Navigation: enhancing visual and navigational coherence
Social Design: integrating the community into our design
03
Analysis
Money isn't a product...(Make)
To realign Leu's identity with our vision, we initiated a platform offering four distinct brand evolution directions, each following a different hypothesis. After collective deliberation, we settled on fusing two concepts (Komm/unity & Blickwinkel), and agreed on a cycle of three month to adopt the changes.
In an effort to save time I developed landing pages whilst creating our creative stepping stones
To revamp Leu's identity, we prioritized authentic community photography over stock photos as a starting point and integrated these with design elements. This approach influenced our website and communication materials, leading up to the "Making" phase, where we created the MVP. With our limited timetable we focused on internal feedback during this phase. After initial testing we were able to roll out just 5 days shy of the 3 month deadline. For my first Lean UX experience, I was thrilled to take away a fair amount of new knowledge after completing the design guidelines:
Visualized Progress: My first dive into Lean UX taught me the power of visual timelines. Seeing our progress and knowing our next steps kept us on track and energized.
Trust Your Gut: Quick decisions can be the right ones. Trusting my instincts was a game-changer, boosting my confidence throughout the project.
Collaborate with Users: Design becomes dynamic when users are involved. Despite our tight schedule, their feedback, ideas, and contributions made our product resonate more deeply, as evident in our final chapter.
The development structure I developed to streamline results
04
Analysis
... Money is a network of trust (Check)
With the new website online, just shy of the three month mark, the evolution was complete. New features included an newly written FAQ Page, translation into 4 different languages, subpages for each acceptance point, filter options for the bazaar and many more. With this step came the transformation of Leu from a digital currency to a community currency. For us the process highlighted the importance of inclusivity and authentic representation in today's digital age. This isn't merely a narrative of innovation; it’s a journey of connecting with community needs and aspirations. The data underscores this transformation's success.
Since the website’s overhaul, views have skyrocketed by 369%, with unique monthly visitors seeing a consistent 42% increase.
the bazaar page, once a less frequented section for reviewing the available acceptance points, now ranks just behind our landing page in terms of views
Community engagement too has been commendable, with an increase of 10-20% of cycle participants actively participating in subsequent Leu community events.
Beyond the numbers, the positive community feedback further validates our efforts. The enhanced site design, combined with its ease of use, has been well-received, making our efforts worthwhile. After the initial success, I continued to engage with Leu, participating in workshops and extending collaboration to other like-minded communities, including Ting.
The project offered insights into the potentials and challenges of localized currencies in shaping economic dynamics and gave me a first taste of how blockchain can rethink how we think of money, instead of rethinking how we can accumulate it.
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