Research Self-Custody Wallet Onboarding UX

I’m running a focused research project on how new users onboard into self-custody crypto wallets, with a strong emphasis on backup and recovery setup.

The goal is to understand how users:

interpret recovery phrases
approach wallet security
make decisions during onboarding
react to responsibility in self-custody

This project is about identifying real friction points and risky behaviors, and turning them into clear, actionable insights.

What needs to be done

You will help design and run a small user research study (remote is perfectly fine), focused on first-time wallet onboarding.

This may include:

recreating a first-time wallet setup experience
observing how users handle backup and recovery steps
identifying confusion, hesitation, or mistakes
collecting both quantitative signals (completion time, errors)
and qualitative insights (thought process, trust, emotions)

Expected output
A structured summary of key findings
Clear identification of friction points and risks
Explanation of why users struggle at specific steps
Practical recommendations to improve onboarding UX
Optional: recordings, notes, or annotated screenshots

Ideal candidate

You are a good fit if you:

have experience in UX research, product research, or user testing
understand crypto basics (especially wallets and self-custody)
can think from a user perspective, not just technical
are able to clearly explain behavior and patterns

Bonus if you:

have used self-custody wallets yourself
understand recovery phrases and wallet security
have worked on fintech / crypto / onboarding flows

Goal

The end result should help make self-custody onboarding:

clearer
safer
easier to understand
without oversimplifying critical security concepts