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Executive Overview

The Problem: Nostr is struggling with user retention. 30-day retention trends toward 0%, DAU is stuck at 10-12k trusted pubkeys, and users need 5-6 different clients to work around bugs. The root cause isn’t the protocol—it’s UX.

The Solution: Six research-backed patterns that address the highest-impact problems:

1. Onboarding - Get users to value in under 2 minutes
2. Content Discovery - Solve the empty feed problem
3. Core Interactions - Make basic actions reliable
4. Performance - Feel fast even when slow
5. Progressive Complexity - Hide advanced features from beginners
6. Cross-Client Consistency - Don’t lose data when switching apps

Who This Is For:

• Nostr developers building consumer apps
• Product designers working on Nostr clients
• Mainstream developers evaluating Nostr

Core Principle: Great UX is the gateway to the protocol’s power. Ship working experiences, then add features.

Where to Start

If you have 5 minutes

Browse the pattern summaries in the sidebar to understand the critical issues.

If you have 30 minutes

Pick the pattern that matches your biggest pain point:

• Users abandon during signup? → Pattern 1: Onboarding
• Empty feeds after signup? → Pattern 2: Content Discovery
• Posts disappearing? → Pattern 3: Core Interactions
• App feels slow/crashy? → Pattern 4: Performance
• Users overwhelmed by settings? → Pattern 5: Progressive Complexity
• Data loss when switching clients? → Pattern 6: Cross-Client Consistency

If you’re building from scratch

Read patterns in order (1-6). Each builds on principles from earlier patterns.

If you want evidence

Check the Research Methodology and References to see the 100+ sources backing these patterns.

The Validation Framework

Before building any feature, ask these three questions:

1. Does this help users accomplish their core goal? (seeing content, connecting with people)
2. Have we validated this solves a real problem? (data, user feedback, research - not hunches)
3. Can we measure if it’s working? (leading indicators, lagging indicators, qualitative signals)

If you can’t answer “yes” to all three, reconsider whether this feature should be built now.

Quick Wins

Here are high-impact, low-effort improvements you can ship this week:

Onboarding

• Add guest/browse mode (see content before account creation)
• Reduce required fields to just username
• Auto-select relays, don’t make users choose

Content Discovery

• Show trending/popular content on empty feeds
• Add basic search functionality
• Create starter packs of accounts to follow

Core Interactions

• Implement optimistic UI for likes/reposts
• Show clear error messages (not relay URLs)
• Add retry logic for failed actions

Performance

• Add skeleton screens while loading
• Cache profile data locally
• Lazy load images

Progressive Complexity

• Move relay settings to Advanced
• Hide signer setup from onboarding
• Use plain language, not protocol jargon

Cross-Client Consistency

• Write to 3+ relays for critical data
• Verify successful writes before confirming
• Add sync status indicators

Next Steps

1. Browse the patterns that match your current priorities
2. Join the discussion on Nostr (search for #NostrUX)
3. Share feedback by opening issues on GitHub
4. Measure your improvements using the validation checklists in each pattern

Remember: You don’t have to implement everything at once. Pick one pattern, validate it works, then move to the next.