About

The Aleo Setup Ceremony was a global multi-party computation event used to secure Aleo’s proof system.

Problem

Non-technical users needed to complete a complex and unfamiliar cryptographic process without command-line knowledge.

The experience had to explain each step clearly, communicate progress, and help participants recover from errors without weakening trust in the ceremony.

Key decisions

• Used surveys and user research to understand technical confidence, expectations, and likely friction points.

• Tested different authentication approaches to balance accessibility, privacy, trust, and completion.

• Turned the ceremony into a guided sequence with clear instructions and visible progress.

• Added contextual guidance at the exact moments users were most likely to become uncertain.

• Designed clear loading, success, failure, and recovery states for a process that could take significant time.

Outcome

The browser experience helped more than 2,000 participants contribute to the ceremony and made a highly technical cryptographic process accessible to a broader audience.

My role

Product Designer across research, user flows, UX/UI, prototyping, usability testing, iteration, and developer handoff for the Inner Setup.