After seeing the 2025 updates, I decided to give the official wallet a try.
The whole point was to see whether it’s possible to interact with the blockchain without any documentation.
I created a wallet using Sleeve, then imported it (via JSON file) into the official wallet.
Let’s be honest: I still find it very complicated for basically two things:
Browser extension management
Installing the extension → creating a 12-word seed → importing the JSON… it feels unnecessarily cumbersome.
Information overload & too many tabs
There are so many elements and tabs that in the end you don’t really understand what you’re supposed to do or where to start.
Also, I tried to access/recover my wallet using the mnemonic phrase (still in the official wallet). I couldn’t find how to do it, and I’m not even sure it’s possible.
Conclusion:
Without a UX improvement, the official wallet should be positioned and marketed as a tool for validators, advanced users, and developers — and not as a general-purpose wallet for everyone. This should be clearly stated.
Whether mnemonic recovery is possible or not, it should at least be more obvious (clearly indicated in the UI)
PS: When I use official wallets from other blockchains, I usually don’t experience this level of difficulty.
People just want something clean, simple and intuitive: click and go
The non quantum secure wallet mnemonic phrase (standard wallet mnemonic) is recoverable from the quantum secure wallet mnemonic via the command-line wallet generation tool.
Hi Keith,
There seems to have been a misunderstanding.
The whole point of my test was to simulate the behavior of an average user — someone who bails out the second things get too complicated.
Explanation:
I created a Sleeve (mnemonic without JSON) here:
Then I tried to connect to the official wallet using that mnemonic here:
Issue: I couldn’t find any way to enter the mnemonic to open the wallet.
What I’m trying to say is that this wallet is a real gas factory (overly complex).
In practice, an average user needs 2 or 3 buttons max when they first arrive.
Here’s what I suggest:
When a user lands on
They should see only 3 options (and nothing else):
Connect via JSON
Connect via Mnemonic
Go to https://sleeve.xx.network/ to create one
All the Network, Governance, Developers, Settings… sections are not relevant until the wallet is actually connected.
Another point:
Why does the official wallet ( xx network portal ) offer to create a Sleeve wallet when https://sleeve.xx.network/ is supposed to be the official way?
In my opinion, you should remove one of the two to avoid confusion.
Ask someone close to you who is not at all into tech/IT to create and open a wallet… you’ll understand immediately.
You really need to guide the user as much as possible and strip the interface down to the bare minimum.
That being said, there is another option:
Keep the current interface as-is, but clearly state that it’s meant for advanced users / validators / developers
Completely revamp Simple Staking to turn it into the default mainstream wallet with only governance, staking (directed or not), send/receive xx, etc.
Your work is really valuable Keith, I’m definitely not trying to criticize just to annoy you.
