Overview
Current status
MVP and V1 launched
My role
Design lead
Duration
3 months
Team
2 Engineers
1 Product Manager
Background
DataStax is a real-time data company that enables organizations to build scalable, high-performance applications using Apache Cassandra®, the industry’s leading NoSQL database. Its core product, Astra, is a cloud-native data platform—and the foundation where this new feature was introduced.
Design Process
Business Opportunity
At DataStax, we conducted numerous user interviews and built strong relationships within the developer community. Through these conversations, we observed a growing trend of developers building decentralized applications and a rising need to access and interact with blockchain data. Recognizing this emerging demand—and the lack of existing solutions—we identified a clear market gap.
This insight led to the creation of Astra Block.
Business Goals
User Interview
Participants
7 web 3 developers (5 male, 2 female)
Method
Unmoderated interview via usertesting.com
Insights from Users
Primary Persona
HMW
Simplify the process for web 3 developers to accessing historical data and staying synchronized with real-time updates from the blockchain for more efficient web 3 application development?
Milestone and Goals
Milestone Details
Phase 0 requirments
Add capacity to submit request to try Astra Block
We will manually review the requests and turn the feature on for developers
Ideate a flow to submit the flow
No need to add any blockchain UI to dashboard for this phase
Flow
Solution
Add a banner on both home page and database dashboard for the access request
Click CTA in the banner to open the dialog
Dropdown
Filled state
Error state
Input field with label and helper text
Directly send users back the the home page
Send notification email regarding the request and after the request approval
Phase 1 Requirements
Users should be able to select the type of data set and then be able to rename and deploy it to the region they wanna deploy to.
Users should have the ability selecting which tables they want to clone to try and limit overconsumption since the main DB is very large.
Developers should be able to clone historical data and sync real time new data
Ideate UI and merge it to dashboard, make it consistent with the existing style
Users should be able to create, manage and monitor the status of a database.
Solution
If the request is approved, users will see a new banner to enter the feature
Clone Historical Data
- Create both complete version and lightweight version data for users to clone
- Pre-fill provider and region for users to save time and costs
By submitting the dialog, users come to Astra Block dashboard
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Sync Real Time New Data
- Turn on toggle to start the live new data syncing process
- Select the start and end date so users can only sync the date they need
- Notify users regarding the cost for the transparency purpose
- The data is being synced...
SYNC NEW DATA
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Usability Test
Feedback
Revision
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Success Metrics
UX Copy
Also a UX writer? YES!
Impact
Metrics
Media Recognization
If you search 'Astra Block' on Google, you'll find plenty of articles discussing it!
Challenges
For the business...
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Lack of Precedents: The nascent realm of blockchain technology meant a significant absence of mature products in the market to use as benchmarks or references.
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Navigating Uncharted Territories: Without a tried and true roadmap, the business had to create its own path, often venturing into the unknown.
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Defining Industry Standards: As pioneers, there was a responsibility to set standards and best practices in a landscape where few existed.
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Discerning Valuable Information: With the inundating hype surrounding blockchain, distinguishing legitimate and essential information was a task.
For me as a Product Designer...
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Rapid Technical Immersion: Had to quickly dive deep into the intricacies of blockchain technology, moving beyond my design-centric comfort zone.
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Understanding Real-world Implications: Grasping the conceptual foundations wasn't enough; I needed to discern their practical applications, especially for developers.
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Ideation Under Pressure: Post-learning, the challenge shifted to ideating solutions to ensure developers had a seamless experience.
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Designing Intuitive Interfaces: Aiming to make complex blockchain concepts accessible through design, ensuring interfaces transcended technical complexities.
