Blockus
Empowering Web3 game studios to connect players in a whole new way
Overview
I owned and led the design direction for the Universal Connect at Blockus—bridging traditional social logins and blockchain wallets into a single solution.
When Web3 gaming started to take off, game studios entering the space faced a major challenge—getting players through the door, from setting up accounts to linking crypto wallets.
We created an SSO builder powered by Universal Connect, enabling studios to customize their login flows while simplifying access for gamers—freeing studios to focus on creating great games instead of managing integrations.
Contributions
Design Lead — Interaction Design, Visual Design, Prototyping, User Flows
Timeline & Status
3 Weeks, Sunset
Team
Tirso Ponce — SWE
Facundo Panizza — SWE
Leticia Furtado — PM
Michael Wei — CTO
*To protect key functionalities and sensitive features, certain details have been intentionally omitted while maintaining the integrity of the project’s narrative.
Highlights
Helping Web3 game studios onboard players—without the friction.
Context
Web3 promises digital ownership and decentralization, but the setup process—like memorizing seed phrases—often feels overwhelming and risky.
The steep learning curve of onboarding, particularly for tasks like securing wallets and understanding crypto concepts, creates a major barrier for first-time users.
For studios venturing into Web3, these challenges aren’t just user frustrations—they’re business hurdles. Without smooth onboarding, they risk losing players at the very first step, making the need for a better solution even more urgent.
Universal login didn’t feel so ... ‘Universal.’
Universal sign-in technology simplifies Web3 onboarding by leveraging familiar platforms like Google and Facebook to authenticate users.
It seamlessly links their accounts to a crypto wallet, removing the need for managing complicated seed phrases or navigating technical complexities.
However, many existing solutions are rigid and one-size-fits-all—failing to adapt to the unique needs of game studios and leaving them unable to reflect their distinct identities.
Problem
An MVP of the Universal Connect (SSO builder) was initially developed and released exclusively to select clients to gather early feedback.
However, the MVP lacked the flexibility game studios needed—it provided limited customization options, making it difficult for studios to tailor the sign-in experience to their specific branding and player needs.
This rigidity created challenges in contextualizing changes, navigating configuration options, and applying updates effectively—leading to slower development cycles, lost player trust, and reduced onboarding success rates.
“We expected more from the platform in terms of customization, but it felt limited and required us to do more work on our side than anticipated to make it fit our needs.”
— Client Developer
Audit
The audit focused on uncovering areas where users struggled—whether through confusing navigation, repetitive tasks, or features hidden behind unnecessary complexity—and identifying ways to guide them toward key actions more naturally.
PROBLEM AREAS
[ 1 ] Fragmented functionality
Critical workflows were split across multiple tabs, disrupting the user journey and increasing cognitive load.
[ 2 ] Isolated preview window
The preview appeared in a separate window, disconnecting users from their workflow and making contextual adjustments more difficult.
[ 3 ] Poor use of available space
Excessive screen real estate was consumed by static layouts, limiting functionality and leading to inefficient use of space.
[ 4 ] Overuse of progressive disclosure
Features were hidden in overly nested sections, slowing interactions and making essential information harder to access.
Opportunity
We recognized an opportunity to solve this problem at scale by creating a solution that eliminated these barriers and set a new standard for onboarding in Web3 gaming.
With the C-suite’s support, the project was greenlit with a blank canvas approach, giving me the creative freedom to build a solution that could address this industry-wide challenge while empowering studios to focus on creating great games.
NORTH STAR
Customizable for every brand
Empower developers to create authentication flows that reflect their unique branding, offering flexibility to meet diverse design and functional needs.
Effortless visibility
Provide real-time previews and clear insights into customization changes, ensuring developers can instantly understand and optimize their setups.
See it, change it, love it
The MVP lacked a way for developers to preview changes in context, forcing them to rely on trial and error across multiple screens and navigate a fragmented interface.
In this iteration, I introduced a contextual playground with real-time previews, a streamlined site navigation, and enhanced customization options—encouraging faster experimentation, easier navigation, and a more confident ways to create.
Navigating made simple
This is the heart of the platform where developers bring their ideas to life, so it needed to feel simple and clear.
I began grouping property types into easily scannable sections, enabling developers to quickly locate the tools they need—encouraging faster iteration, reduce decision fatigue, and more confident customizations.
Your brand, your way
It was essential to improve the platform’s customization options, giving studios greater control over the look and feel of their designs to better align with their unique brand identities.
I took a deep dive into traditional SSO layouts, focusing on customization that lets studios tailor the experience—whether through theme adjustments or visual refinements.
I also wanted this builder to be proactive and adaptable to various environments our studios might need, making it crucial for the form to be flexible enough to transition seamlessly between compact and wide layouts.
Drag, drop, done
Providing developers with the ability to rearrange and select social logins was key to helping them tailor experiences to their specific audiences and communities.
My design direction focused on enabling developers to efficiently manage and reorder social logins, encouraging faster adjustments and greater control over customization.
Grouping the drag-and-drop feature with checkboxes felt intuitive, but it was essential to ensure this combination improved the visibility of the feature.
The aim was to provide users with a clear and seamless way to reorder and select options within a single interaction flow.
Real-time tweaks, zero guesswork
Previously, developers had no way to see the impact of their adjustments in real time, forcing them to rely on trial and error and slowing down the customization process.
By showcasing how a live preview could bridge configuration and results, I secured the collaboration needed to bring this feature to life, ensuring it met the needs of both developers and the broader platform goals.
Flexible sign-in for every audience
I introduced the ability for studios to reorder sign-in options—recognizing that some may want to prioritize Web2 sign-in methods to attract broader audiences, while others may choose to highlight Web3 options to engage crypto-native users.
From vision to implementation
To help studios implement Universal Connect across diverse workflows, I designed a dynamic bottom bar that lets them toggle between visual representations of the playground—such as embedded and modular environment views—and a code preview to understand how these designs can be implemented.
Previously, the code portion was tucked away in a settings tab, making it difficult for developers to access during their workflow.
By integrating the code snippet directly into the live preview, I made it instantly accessible—allowing developers to see their changes and retrieve the implementation details in real time.
Bringing the experience to life!
We didn’t just want to present options—we wanted users to experience them firsthand.
By integrating a testnet environment, developers could try out the sign-in flow just as their players would.
This interactive playground allowed them to experiment with different configurations, validate authentication methods, and ensure a seamless experience before going live.
Feedback
I started with the intention of giving users complete control, but I wanted the design to feel more opinionated to avoid decision paralysis.
Through conversations with my CTO and PM, we identified areas where we could simplify without compromising flexibility—focusing on reducing complexity while retaining essential functionality.
I streamlined the default options by narrowing the available choices to the most commonly used configurations, ensuring the design balanced simplicity with adaptability.
I simplified the interaction without removing functionality by using progressive disclosure—feature remains available for users who need it, but is intentionally tucked away to prevent overwhelming the experience.
Retrospective
The project was ultimately sunset as the company’s mission and objectives pivoted, redirecting resources to align with new priorities.
Despite this, the work laid a strong foundation and provided valuable insights for future initiatives.
LEARNINGS
Driving meaningful conversations
Building high-fidelity prototypes early in the process wasn’t just about validating ideas—it helped spark excitement among stakeholders and created momentum to move the project forward. It made abstract concepts tangible, leading to faster buy-ins from both leadership and engineering teams.
Clarity through focus
Instead of overloading the design with endless options, I learned the value of focusing on the core behaviors I wanted to drive. Simplifying decisions and tailoring the experience to specific goals created a more impactful and intuitive solution.
Collaborative design is key
Regular discussions with the CTO, PM, and engineers revealed opportunities to streamline the product further. Involving cross-functional teams early ensured alignment and helped shape the project to meet both technical and business goals.
Adaptability is crucial
When company priorities shifted, this project demonstrated the importance of designing in a way that can be repurposed or provide value beyond its original intent. Even projects that don’t ship fully can drive future initiatives.