Polkadot JS Apps messaging & rebranding thoughts

Submitting a :+1: on Consider re-branding the `Apps` to `Console` · Issue #8971 · polkadot-js/apps · GitHub or Reconsider rebranding Polkadot.js to remove the "Polkadot" · Issue #9189 · polkadot-js/apps · GitHub might go a long way.

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Looks like we got good engagement, and the issue hasn’t been closed. Not sure where to go from here to move things forward?

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It seems this change is at the behest of Jaco, so the course of action would be to continue to engage with those GH issues and see if we get a result

The project itself is open source, so it could simply be redeployed on a domain like console.polkadot.network and re-deploy updates as they come in. But then you would not get any other rebranding benefits.

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Could you do a PR to change these things? I guess the maintainer would have to approve the PR, but I’m not sure if the naming and website design is in the github

I would consider the maintainer an external contributor, unfortunately. He has not engaged in these forums or this issue, so I would raise this to community members who care about this issue as not not expend too much time on something that seemingly will not see a resolution.

While it can be a good idea to replace apps by console, this will not change the fact pjs offers essential functionalities no other app does.

So let’s set landscape:

  • Polkadot js app is a complete tool for advanced users and developers
  • Polkadot js extension is a signer, not a wallet

Why don’t we have a proper user friendly experience?
I think because we based assumptions that other blockchain projects don’t have these tools and a wallet + block explorer is enough. But Polkadot is a more complex blockchain than any other (outside substrate), with different pallets that we can interact with. We need dapps to interact with these pallets which are sometimes very complicated to approach for a end user (take the stzking pallet as the best example).

What should we have in priority?
Pretty simple actually: an « official » landing apps page like apps.polkadot.network with a proper SEI and referenced in Polkadot website on the top page like « open apps ».
The page has to be simple, and reference existing apps in a few sections to direct any new user who didn’t spend hours reading wiki or watching videos

  • wallets: Talisman, Subwallet, Nova, Fearless…
  • dapps: decentralized apps interacting with Polkadot for main user functionalities: balance management, staking, parachains, governance. There are A LOT of apps to create here for a user friendly experience
  • chain explorers: view chain history like Subscan and others
  • tools: polkadot js 1st and all other useful tools for advanced users and developers

We can conclude saying that having all those talks around polkadot js will not achieve results as long as we don’t have what everybody expects behind this: built end user oriented apps/tools to interact with Polkadot in a easy manner (only wallets achieved this until now).

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The issue is not what PJS apps is, it is how it is represented to the community and new users. It does not adequately communicate that it should be a developer or advanced tool only. Its position gives the impression that it is the first port of call for Polkadot users, which should only be the case for developers.

Why don’t we have a proper user friendly experience?

Staking dashboard has a proper user friendly experience, and is continuously being built upon. This and efforts sprouting from it are the future of user friendly Polkadot dapps in my eyes.

Pretty simple actually: an « official » landing apps page like apps.polkadot.network with a proper SEI and referenced in Polkadot website on the top page like « open apps ».

I think this is what polkadot.network is doing currently. There is the landing page and the top right gives users buttons that direct them to particular use cases. The staking landing page is a great example of how we have achieved a fantastic representation of the staking product. It includes everything you would want to know from wallets and extensions, the different types of staking, etc.
Is it perfect? No - there is still work to be done. But in terms of user friendliness it is next generation relative to JS Apps.

Agreed staking app is a good step already, but still maybe too complicated for a new user.
A simplified mode would help, but still hard to do considering complexity of staking parameters.

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