Idealism is grand, but reality is harsh: Why do crypto platform wallet logins always fall just short

DeFiLlama founder 0xngmi recently pointed out an interesting phenomenon on X: although “wallet login” is frequently discussed and promoted in the crypto industry, the actual implementation on most platforms falls far short of expectations. This is not a technical issue, but a real-world dilemma related to product design and user behavior.

The Gap Between Ideals and Reality

The concept of wallet login sounds perfect: users don’t need to remember complex usernames and passwords, just connect their wallet to log in—safe and simple. But when this ideal meets reality, problems start to surface.

Specific pain points in implementation

According to 0xngmi’s observations, the main issues faced by wallet login models include:

• User Forgetfulness Dilemma: Users often forget which wallet address they used to register. This may sound absurd, but it reflects a real user behavior—many people might use multiple wallets or lose access after switching devices.
• Notification Delivery Breakdowns: In wallet login mode, platforms find it difficult to send timely critical notifications, such as API quota usage alerts. These messages usually require email or push notifications, but if users only bind their wallet address, they cannot receive them.
• Cost of Remedial Measures: Introducing email as a supplementary step can solve notification issues, but doing so undermines the original purpose of wallet login (simplified login process) and adds friction to user experience.

The Essence of the Problem

These pain points reflect a deeper contradiction: wallet login is designed to enhance security and decentralization, but it overlooks a fact—most users care more about convenience than this level of security in most scenarios.

When platforms add email verification to address issues caused by wallet login, they are essentially reverting to traditional Web2 login methods. This diminishes the advantages of wallet login.

Market Reality: Is this feature really necessary?

0xngmi’s final point is particularly worth pondering: while wallet login still holds value in high-security application scenarios, such cases only represent a small portion of the overall market.

In other words, for most crypto applications, wallet login may not be an essential feature. It’s more of an “ideal feature” that “should exist” rather than a “must-have” that users truly need.

Deep Reflection

This phenomenon reveals a common problem in the crypto industry: sometimes we overly pursue certain idealized features (such as complete decentralization and maximum autonomy), while neglecting actual user needs and habits.

The dilemma of wallet login shows that good product design must consider not only technical elegance but also the integrity of user experience. Features designed solely to embody the “Web3 spirit” but conflicting with user needs can ultimately become useless.

Summary

This observation from DeFiLlama’s founder reminds us that crypto product design needs a more pragmatic approach. Wallet login is theoretically elegant, but in practice, it exposes issues like user forgetfulness and notification failures. When platforms add email verification as a remedy, they weaken the original purpose of the feature. This indicates that not all “Web3” features are suitable for every application scenario. A truly good product should find a balance between ideals and reality, rather than blindly pursuing some idealized trait. For the industry, this is also a reminder: to truly bring crypto applications to the masses, it may be necessary to abandon some “pure” ideals and seek more practical solutions.