DexTrade — Crypto Exchange
Context
DexTrade is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that provides trading, wallet, and account management functionality for retail users. The product operates in a competitive environment where user activation and ongoing engagement directly impact transaction volume and revenue. When I joined the project, the platform actively developed new features and marketing initiatives, but many of them remained underutilized by users.
My Role
Product Designer
I worked on product UX end-to-end, focusing on user activation, onboarding flows, and improving engagement across core and newly introduced exchange features. I collaborated closely with product stakeholders, marketing, and the development team.
Key Product Challenges
• Low wallet top-up rate among newly registered users
• New users were not clearly guided toward the next meaningful action after registration
• Existing users followed habitual paths and rarely discovered new features or services
• Marketing initiatives had limited visibility within the product experience
Case 1 — Increasing Wallet Top-Ups for New Users
Problem
After completing registration, new users were redirected to the homepage of the exchange. This page was primarily focused on banners, top trading pairs, and market data.
For a new user, there was no clear motivation or guidance to fund their wallet, even though wallet funding was a prerequisite for most core actions on the exchange.
Discovery
I analyzed the post-registration user flow and identified a key gap between account creation and first meaningful action.
From a new user’s perspective:
• registration was complete,
• but the product did not clearly explain what to do next,
• or why funding the wallet was important.
This created a friction point where users stalled instead of progressing toward activation.
Insight & Hypothesis
The key insight was that new users were not unwilling to fund their wallet — they were simply not prompted at the right moment.
Hypothesis:
If users were guided immediately after registration and shown why wallet funding matters, the number of wallet top-ups would increase significantly.
Solution
I redesigned the onboarding flow so that after registration, users were taken to a dedicated wallet funding page.
This page:
• clearly explained why wallet funding was necessary,
• presented available top-up methods,
• and allowed users to skip the step and proceed to the homepage if they preferred.
The goal was to guide, not force, users toward activation.
Result
After launching the updated onboarding flow, first-time wallet top-ups increased from 11.3% to 37.8% within two months. This significantly improved early user activation and increased the number of users engaging with core exchange functionality.
Case 2 — Increasing Engagement Through a Unified Dashboard
Problem
Existing users followed habitual paths after login (trading terminal, wallet, or airdrops). New features and marketing initiatives were rarely discovered, limiting cross-product usage and overall engagement.
Discovery
I analyzed post-login behavior and found that users were redirected to the homepage and immediately navigated to familiar sections. Most users did not scroll the homepage or notice new features, even when they were actively promoted.
Insight & Hypothesis
Users were not avoiding new features intentionally — the product simply did not surface them at the right moment.
Hypothesis:
If users landed on a centralized dashboard after login, with clear access to all core features and services, engagement across the platform would increase.
Solution
I designed a unified dashboard for authenticated users that provided:
• quick access to core exchange functionality,
• visibility of new services and features,
• in-product marketing communication without disrupting trading flows.
The dashboard also enabled marketing teams to communicate initiatives directly within the product experience.
Result
After introducing the dashboard, user engagement across multiple exchange features increased.
Users interacted with a wider set of services beyond their habitual flows, which led to higher overall activity and transaction volume.
Key Takeaway
Surfacing relevant actions at the right moment can significantly increase engagement without disrupting users’ primary workflows.
© 2026 Mark Berladyn. All rights reserved.