v0.1.1 beta discussion

[jeremiahlee]

Please share feedback regarding the v0.1.1 beta of the Web Monetization extension.

[jeremiahlee]

I was able to connect my Fynbos wallet, stream payment, and send a payment to another website using a Fynbos payment pointer in Firefox and Chrome.

Screen recording of my testing while thinking aloud

1. Observation: The extension icon gets hidden immediately after installation in the extensions toolbar menu in both Chrome and Firefox, unless it has been installed previously and pinned previously.
   • Impact: Unless people know to then tap on the extension toolbar menu and then the extension icon, they don’t know there is something to do next.
   • Feeling: Still motivated, not deterred
   • Idea: Open a new tab with the setup instructions upon installation instead of relying on users to tap into the extension window.
2. Observation: The steps to take are not enumerated. Instructions are sequenced with (summarized) “get a wallet”, “copy public key into wallet”, “enter wallet address”, “enter amount to use”.
   • Impact: I first pasted my wallet address, then copied the public key, then hit connect. I thought I would paste the public key after I hit connect, but then I got an error (“Failed to connect. Please make sure you have added the public key to the correct wallet address.”). I thought Fynbos was broken, but I actually needed to add the public key before I could connect to Fynbos.
   • Feelings: I’m stupid because I should know this. I don’t think normies would make it past this step.
   • Idea: Eliminate this user step by adding a requirement for wallet providers. [FEATURE REQUEST] Replace copy/paste of public key with URL parameter to wallet provider #311
   • Idea: Enumerate the steps as ”1. Enter your wallet address. Don’t have one? Get one.”, “2. Set a monthly budget.”, “3. Connect” Remove the renew toggle.
3. Observation: Adding a public key is not a concept normies understand. Coming up with a name for the key is hard. The prefilled text looks like it is a filled in value, but I know this is a browser-set thing.
   • Feelings: Dumbstruck in a lack of ideas for what to name the key. Apathetic in not caring what it’s named.
4. Observation: Copying the wallet address in Fynbos in Chrome for macOS triggers the OS sharing dialog, which does not contain a copy command. I also could not select the text. Timecode 1:50 and 11:07 in the video to see.
   • Impact: I ended up typing the wallet address instead in my Chrome test.
   • Feelings: mild frustration
5. Observation: Menubar icon turning green when “continuous payment stream” is active is good indicator.
6. Observation: On a page using a wallet address not supported by my wallet provider, the menubar icon turned green without the trailing streak. Subtle but effective once I noticed the difference.
7. Observation: When creating a new tab, which is a page without a wallet address, the bright red icon stole my attention.
   • Impact: I thought something was wrong or needed my attention.
   • Feeling: worry something broke
   • Idea: Use an emotionally-neutral color like gray when a page is not monetized.
8. Observation: When sending a payment to a page, the recipient is listed as the URL I am on, not the wallet address of the recipient. That’s not the actual recipient. I couldn’t put the listed website URL into Fynbos as a recipient and make a payment.
   • Feeling: concerned
   • Idea: “Pay this page” with small text of “Recipient: https://xxxxx”. If multiple wallet addresses, list them all and split the payment equally.
   • Idea: Come up with a standard for associating an image and other profile info attached to a wallet address and show that info as the recipient instead. For example, https://fynbos.app/jeremiah could have my name as “Jeremiah Lee” and my profile image URL. The extension would then show “Pay Jeremiah Lee” with my name linked to my wallet and my profile image displayed.
9. Observation: After sending a payment, the confirmation within the button happens quickly and then resets.
   • Impact: I glanced away to look at an unrelated notification and only saw the last part of the confirmation before it reset.
   • Feeling: whiplash
   • Idea: Stay in confirmed state until URL in the tab changes. Tap to reset to send another payment.
10. Observation: The one-time payment came out of the continuous payment stream budget.
    • Impact: I thought it would have been separate from the streaming budget
    • Feeling: surprised
11. Observation: current rate of pay seems like it shouldn’t be above Pay because it’s a setting.
    • Impact: Provoked concern that the rate was too high ($0.60/hour) given my monthly budget of $1. Tried to do quick math for what it should be (“how many hours is that approximately?”). Then wondered if it was a per-page setting so that’s why it was displayed there instead of under the settings menu.
    • Feeling: overwhelmed, uncertain
    • Idea: The time-apportioned post-paid model eliminates concerns about budgeting, but I accept that is not the current direction.
    • Idea: The payment rate should be a global setting instead of a per-URL/hostname setting. Move it to the settings.
12. Observation: “Continuous payment stream” toggle is ambiguous on scope and sounds technical.
    • Impact: I don’t know if toggling turns it off on this webpage, website, or everywhere.
    • Feeling: confusion, uncertain
    • Idea: “Stream payment to [hostname]” (toggle button right aligned like in iOS/Android) assuming this setting is hostname based.
    • Idea: Show how much I have already sent to wallet addresses listed on this hostname.
    • Idea: Move this below paying the site, as it seems like a secondary action.
13. Observation: Money format in “Current rate of pay” is incorrectly formatted for USD: 0.60 $ instead of $ 0.60.
14. Observation: I (correctly) couldn’t send a payment to myself when on a website with my wallet address. “Could not facilitate payment for current website” error.
    • Idea: More descriptive error messages are always helpful. “Sender and recipient are the same wallet address.” Even better: don’t show the pay form when this scenario is detected. “Your wallet address is listed on this page.” This would also let creators know their monetization tag is properly installed on a page.
15. Observation: “At the moment, you can not pay this website” warning (correctly) received when visiting a page with a wallet address my provider could not send payments to (Fynbos cannot send to Rafiki.wallet).
    • Bug: “can not” should be “cannot” fix(locales/en): update invalidReceivers error message #547
    • Impact: Makes me wonder “when?” if not “at the moment”

Overall thought: The Web Monetization extension will reintroduce the world to these ideas. We should be showcasing the value proposition, not the technology. The extension should not be a demonstration of all the possible configuration options within the protocol. If we need a protocol demonstration of configurable options, we should create a separate extension for developers. The experience needs to be simplified with defined steps, clear actions to take, affirmation of completing each step, and how to get help if there are problems.