Leading the redesign of DAWN Validator’s rewards experience
Leading the redesign of DAWN Validator’s rewards experience
Note: This case study only includes screens from launched product versions. Internal notes, explorations, and private product details are excluded.
Note: This case study only includes screens from launched product versions. Internal notes, explorations, and private product details are excluded.
Note: This case study only includes screens from launched product versions. Internal notes, explorations, and private product details are excluded.
Company:
Company:
Andrena, Inc.
Andrena, Inc.
Andrena, Inc.
Timeline:
Timeline:
1 Month
1 Month
1 Month
Tools:
Tools:
Figma
Figma
Figma
About the company
About the company
About the company
DAWN is building a decentralized wireless broadband network that makes internet access more community-powered, user-owned, and reward-driven.
DAWN is building a decentralized wireless broadband network that makes internet access more community-powered, user-owned, and reward-driven.
About the product
About the product
About the product
DAWN Validator includes a Chrome extension and web dashboard for participating in DAWN’s decentralized broadband network.
Users can stay connected, validate bandwidth, earn rewards, refer friends, and review their rewards and network activity in a larger dashboard experience.
DAWN Validator includes a Chrome extension and web dashboard for participating in DAWN’s decentralized broadband network.
Users can stay connected, validate bandwidth, earn rewards, refer friends, and review their rewards and network activity in a larger dashboard experience.
My role
My role
My role
• Audited the existing Chrome extension and web dashboard experience
• Reviewed public feedback from the Chrome Web Store and X
• Studied previous design explorations to understand product evolution
• Planned and ran usability tests with 5 users
• Synthesized findings into a clearer redesign direction
• Designed and iterated the launch-ready rewards experience
• Audited the existing Chrome extension and web dashboard experience
• Reviewed public feedback from the Chrome Web Store and X
• Studied previous design explorations to understand product evolution
• Planned and ran usability tests with 5 users
• Synthesized findings into a clearer redesign direction
• Designed and iterated the launch-ready rewards experience
Shaping the redesign direction
Shaping the redesign direction
Shaping the redesign direction
The project gave me room to define the right redesign direction for DAWN Validator as the lead designer.
Before changing the UI, I explored the product end to end: installing the extension, creating an account, reviewing the dashboard, and moving through the experience as a new user.
I also reviewed public feedback from the Chrome Web Store and X, studied previous product explorations, and used AI as a brainstorming partner to explore possible layout directions. These inputs helped me form early hypotheses, but I still needed to observe real users to understand where the experience created friction.
The project gave me room to define the right redesign direction for DAWN Validator as the lead designer.
Before changing the UI, I explored the product end to end: installing the extension, creating an account, reviewing the dashboard, and moving through the experience as a new user.
I also reviewed public feedback from the Chrome Web Store and X, studied previous product explorations, and used AI as a brainstorming partner to explore possible layout directions. These inputs helped me form early hypotheses, but I still needed to observe real users to understand where the experience created friction.
Testing the experience with real users
Testing the experience with real users
Testing the experience with real users
To make the redesign direction more evidence-based, I ran moderated usability tests with five new or casual users who were not deeply familiar with DAWN.
The sessions focused on core tasks across the extension and dashboard: signing up, understanding rewards, boosting rewards, referring a friend, applying a referral code, moving between the extension and dashboard, and logging back in.
For each session, I tracked completion, hesitation, backtracking, unclear moments, and user comments.
To make the redesign direction more evidence-based, I ran moderated usability tests with five new or casual users who were not deeply familiar with DAWN.
The sessions focused on core tasks across the extension and dashboard: signing up, understanding rewards, boosting rewards, referring a friend, applying a referral code, moving between the extension and dashboard, and logging back in.
For each session, I tracked completion, hesitation, backtracking, unclear moments, and user comments.
Test setup
Moderated 25–30 minute sessions with new or casual users to evaluate how clearly they could move through DAWN Validator.
Moderated
25–30 min
New users
Core tasks
Tested signup, rewards, referrals, referral codes, dashboard navigation, and login.
Signup
Rewards
Referrals
What I observed
Tracked hesitation, backtracking, unclear feedback, login friction, and extension-to-dashboard confusion.
Friction Signals
What I captured
Captured quotes, pain points, drop-off moments, and improvement ideas to guide the redesign.
Quotes
Pain points
Drop-offs
What the research revealed
What the research revealed
What the research revealed
The research surfaced three themes that shaped the redesign direction.
The research surfaced three themes that shaped the redesign direction.
Onboarding needed clearer feedback
Onboarding needed clearer feedback
Signup and login moments needed stronger confirmation, clearer codes, and more obvious next steps so new users felt guided instead of uncertain.
Signup and login moments needed stronger confirmation, clearer codes, and more obvious next steps so new users felt guided instead of uncertain.
Rewards needed more context
Rewards needed more context
Reward actions like boosting, referrals, and points needed clearer explanation so users could understand what each action did and why it mattered.
Reward actions like boosting, referrals, and points needed clearer explanation so users could understand what each action did and why it mattered.
Extension–dashboard gap
Extension–dashboard gap
Users needed clearer cues when moving between the Chrome extension and web dashboard, so they knew which space supported which task.
Users needed clearer cues when moving between the Chrome extension and web dashboard, so they knew which space supported which task.
Turning insights into design principles
Turning insights into design principles
Turning insights into design principles
These findings helped me define three principles for the redesign:
• Make rewards easier to understand and more motivating
• Make key actions feel clearer, safer, and more guided
• Create a smoother relationship between the extension and dashboard
These findings helped me define three principles for the redesign:
• Make rewards easier to understand and more motivating
• Make key actions feel clearer, safer, and more guided
• Create a smoother relationship between the extension and dashboard
Defining the visual language of connection quality
Defining the visual language of connection quality
Defining the visual language of connection quality
After refining the UX direction, I expanded the redesign into the visual layer. The goal was to make connection quality feel clear at a glance — not just through numbers or status labels, but through a visual system users could instantly read.
I explored three directions, and the selected concept used a glowing Earth-like sphere with orbital motion to communicate network vitality. As connection quality dropped from 100% to 0%, the visuals gradually reduced brightness, warmth, and motion.
After refining the UX direction, I expanded the redesign into the visual layer. The goal was to make connection quality feel clear at a glance — not just through numbers or status labels, but through a visual system users could instantly read.
I explored three directions, and the selected concept used a glowing Earth-like sphere with orbital motion to communicate network vitality. As connection quality dropped from 100% to 0%, the visuals gradually reduced brightness, warmth, and motion.
From launched version to a clearer rewards experience
From launched version to a clearer rewards experience
From launched version to a clearer rewards experience
Redesigning the Validator experience
Redesigning the Validator experience
Redesigning the Validator experience
With the research direction and visual language in place, I redesigned DAWN Validator across both the Chrome extension and web dashboard.
The extension became the quick-access layer for connection quality, rewards, referrals, and key actions. The dashboard supported deeper review for activity, progress, and reward details.
Together, both surfaces created a clearer rewards experience: users could understand their status faster, know what to do next, and move forward with more confidence.
With the research direction and visual language in place, I redesigned DAWN Validator across both the Chrome extension and web dashboard.
The extension became the quick-access layer for connection quality, rewards, referrals, and key actions. The dashboard supported deeper review for activity, progress, and reward details.
Together, both surfaces created a clearer rewards experience: users could understand their status faster, know what to do next, and move forward with more confidence.
Launch
DAWN Validator Extension
A live Chrome extension and dashboard experience for DAWN users to validate bandwidth, track connection quality, earn rewards, and manage referrals.
Launch
DAWN Validator Extension
A live Chrome extension and dashboard experience for DAWN users to validate bandwidth, track connection quality, earn rewards, and manage referrals.
Launch
DAWN Validator Extension
A live Chrome extension and dashboard experience for DAWN users to validate bandwidth, track connection quality, earn rewards, and manage referrals.
Results & Impact
Results & Impact
Results & Impact
The redesign helped turn DAWN Validator into a clearer, more cohesive rewards experience across the Chrome extension and web dashboard.
• Launched a redesigned rewards experience across the extension and dashboard
• Made connection quality, points, referrals, and progress easier to understand at a glance
• Clarified the role of each surface: quick actions in the extension, deeper review in the dashboard
• Created a stronger visual system for connection-quality states from 100% to offline
• Delivered a launch-ready experience while keeping internal research and product details confidential
The redesign helped turn DAWN Validator into a clearer, more cohesive rewards experience across the Chrome extension and web dashboard.
• Launched a redesigned rewards experience across the extension and dashboard
• Made connection quality, points, referrals, and progress easier to understand at a glance
• Clarified the role of each surface: quick actions in the extension, deeper review in the dashboard
• Created a stronger visual system for connection-quality states from 100% to offline
• Delivered a launch-ready experience while keeping internal research and product details confidential
What I learned
What I learned
What I learned
This project strengthened how I lead product design when the direction is still open. I learned how to turn early signals — public feedback, product audits, usability testing, and visual exploration — into a focused redesign direction.
It also reinforced that strong product design is not only about making the interface look better. It is about helping users understand their status, trust the system, and know what to do next.
This project strengthened how I lead product design when the direction is still open. I learned how to turn early signals — public feedback, product audits, usability testing, and visual exploration — into a focused redesign direction.
It also reinforced that strong product design is not only about making the interface look better. It is about helping users understand their status, trust the system, and know what to do next.