Creating a premium NFT community app experience

Confidential Client
NounsDAO
March 2022

Working on a product for an entirely new kind of organization (the NounsDAO) meant the usual business norms were thrown out the window. We collaborated openly and directly with the founding team, and directly with the wider NFT community of token holders to build a fun, playful iOS app that would provide real utility and delight.

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Product Design
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Rapid Research
phone mockups of the nouns app arranged in a brick layout on an angl
Approach

To win the work for this project, we had to openly submit a proposal to the NounsDAO ‘on-chain’, after a two week session of consultation and critique from the wider community of token holders (resulting in a vote to proceed). 

Once given the greenlight to proceed, we engaged in a co-creation process directly with the DAO founding members and the NFT community en-mass – uncovered latent needs, desires, and most sought-after features, interactions, and design directions for the application.

With this newfound understanding and insight, our team designed a number of custom interactions and novel interface elements that would allow users to explore on-chain Nouns, create their own custom Nouns using the NFT’s asset library, and make their custom Nouns repeat what they say with funny voice filters. This not only made the app enjoyable to use, but also helped to foster a sense of ownership and connection among the community members.

To bring the app to life, we created a robust design UI component system, custom icon set, and colorful visual language that complemented the playful nature of the Nouns brand. We worked closely with developers to ensure that the app was production-ready, complete with the requisite polish and animations that would make it stand out among other web3 apps.

sketches of the nouns app
a digital canvas with nouns app inspiration and notes
the nouns app design system with icons, buttons and other components
the nouns app icons
a high level view of all the nouns app screen mocks
six nouns app screen mocks with accompanying app store information
a screenshot of the nouns app website with a yellow background, app, and information
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Outcome

The result of our efforts is a vibrant and fun application that is a reflection of the community's unique values and identity. The application is now home to well over 600 nouns (and growing), and can be downloaded on the App Store.

More Solutions
More work
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More work
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