Both usability and use cases are factors that promote a cryptocurrency's bull run, but which of these two factors are more likely to drive growth in the industry?

If crypto is to live up to its expectations, it will need to appeal to people of various backgrounds, ages and occupations. According to an eToro survey, for most crypto users today, cryptocurrency is a trend among those who already operate in a technologically advanced workplace. However, if the system's orientation procedure is solely for these users, everyone who isn't tech knowledgeable will be lost from the start.

In this post, we examine both use cases and usability and help you understand how they are intertwined with each other.

What Are Usability and Use Cases?

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Weighing scale Piret Ilver/Unsplash

A token/coin's usability refers to how easy it is to use or understand. Its use cases refer to what it can be used for. Both are important factors in determining a cryptocurrency's success, but one may be more important than another, depending on your perspective.

While both are integral in determining whether or not your coin has growth potential, there is an even stronger connection between usability and success.

  • Does it have any confusing aspects that need to be fixed?
  • Are transactions quick and simple?
  • Is it user-friendly?

If you can't answer yes to these questions, you may want to reconsider some features before releasing your cryptocurrency. However, if you're having trouble answering yes to these questions despite having solid use cases behind your project (i.e., what makes it unique), you might want to reevaluate those features.

To help you determine which factor is more important, let's look at an example: Imagine you have two coins with identical features and functions — but one has superior usability and one has superior use cases. Which would you choose? If you choose based on usability, you think a coin's usefulness is more important than its ability to do what it does well. If you choose based on use cases, you think a coin's ability to do what it does well is more important than its usefulness. Understanding these perspectives will help guide your decision-making process when choosing between coins.

Examples of a Cryptocurrency's Usability

  • Increased transaction speed
  • Cheaper transaction fees
  • Organized storage
  • Easy registration and purchase of coins

Examples of Use Cases

  • Payment transactions (e.g., bitcoin) are accepted as a means of payment for certain goods and services
  • Staking and yield farming
  • Insurance
  • Assets exchange
  • Lending and borrowing
  • Asset management

Case Studies from Bitcoin (BTC) and Ripple (XRP)

In the earlier days, many coins focused heavily on use cases (i.e., offering something valuable and distinctive to users of their coin) over usability (i.e., creating usable coins). While these initial implementations often failed in one way or another, they ultimately helped pave the way to more successful launches later on — some of which are still going strong.

Take bitcoin, for instance. It's hard to imagine how difficult it was to buy BTC back in the early days. But as time went on, BTC became easier and easier to purchase. Thus, it became much more accessible to new users. And with greater accessibility came greater popularity.

That's not to say that user-friendly features don't matter — they do! Look at Ripple, whose XRP coin has seen big gains in recent months despite being criticized by many for lacking clear-cut use cases. The bottom line is that both usability and use cases are important factors in determining whether a particular cryptocurrency will be able to attract new users and thrive over time.

What's the Verdict: Usability or Use Cases?

When discussing usability and use cases, the primary concern is that they are unique terms, though related to one another. Each word seems to be used interchangeably, yet there is a distinction between these two important concepts. One question remains: What exactly makes each of these so different? If you want to understand usability and use cases, it's best to first begin with what they mean before diving into when you should employ each in your development cycle.

After grasping the concept of usability and use cases, it's critical to comprehend which feature can significantly contribute to coin rally. Coin rallies and crypto acceptance are aided by both factors, use cases and usability. In coin rallies, though, use cases play a larger significance.

Simply said, the use cases are what provide investors with value. If investors discover that cryptos can help them receive loans faster and easier, they may decide to invest in crypto. The use cases draw investors to a project or the cryptocurrency market.

The investor in a DeFi project token may want to know what role the token plays within the project. Is the coin utilized for transactions, payments, prizes, voting or other purposes? If this is the case, the coin may attract more users, resulting in rallies.

Usability comes into play once the use case has attracted investors. The investor is curious about the project's ease of usage. On the other hand, usability will always occur after use cases have been considered.

The verdict is that use cases are the first thing that attracts investors to crypto, resulting in investments and currency rallies, while usability helps retain users.

Investing in Cryptocurrencies Made Easier

Everybody today working on cryptocurrency solutions seems to be thinking about how we might improve our technical capabilities. However, even if we create better systems, their user experience would suffer. Crypto proponents strongly believe that digital assets will achieve mass adoption, but developers must first optimize use and usability.

A system that simplifies onboarding and guides users through transactions and storage could help cryptocurrency fulfill its potential. If bitcoin is to succeed as a revolutionary means of bringing people together, the coins and products we create must entice everyone to join the movement. The use cases should also meet our day-to-day life needs.

Rahul owns no cryptocurrencies.

International Business Times holds no liability for any investments made based on the information provided on this page. We strongly recommend independent research and/or consultation with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.

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