Hello everyone, here is the Q1 2025 report from the UX Bounty. Feel free to comment or contact us directly if you have any questions or feedback.
Thanks for the read!
Useful links
- All the reports → Quarter Reports
- Everything about the Polkadot UX Bounty → Polkadot UX Bounty HQ
1. Introduction
This report outlines the activities and expenditures of the Polkadot UX Bounty for Q1 2025, covering the period from January 16 to April 4, 2025.
During this quarter, the bounty launched the UX Audit Grants Program a new initiative designed to help Polkadot projects identify and resolve usability issues through UX audits.
In parallel, two UXBs were completed and are now in implementation phase:
Finally, the bounty itself underwent a structural evolution to improve execution speed and alignment with community needs — as detailed in this forum announcement.
This reorganization was made to increase agility and better support the ecosystem.
2. Finance Overview
2.1. DOT Holdings
Starting Amount (May 29, 2024 ): 67,678.00 DOT // ≈ 500,000 USD
Remaining Funds (April 29, 2025 ): 51,144.90 DOT // ≈ $219,923.09 USD
Note: The price of DOT at the time of this report (April 29, 2025) was $4.30.
2.2. Q1 Payout Summary
Note: Projects under the UX Bounty typically have a minimum duration of 3 to 4 months. Payments are made upon milestone completion, some projects are not yet reflected.
2.3. Budget Commentary
Our initial goal was to keep operational costs between 20–25% of total expenditures. However, this target is becoming harder to maintain as our scope expands — requiring curators to take on more than just QA, budget and project oversight.
Curators now handle also communications and cross-team collaboration. They actively advocate for UX priorities and engage with ecosystem teams to better integrate our efforts into broader Polkadot initiatives.
We’ve updated our projections and are now targeting 30% for operations by the end of the year. As more projects are executed, spending will adjust proportionately, and operational costs are expected to stabilize.
Below are the details and category breakdowns as of April 29, 2025
2.3.1. Details Breakdown
Note: As we are budgeting in USD, we are also reporting in USD while keeping the DOT amount as a high-level metric.
2.3.2. Category Spend
⇒ View the Budget Breakdown sheet
2.3.3. Budget per UXBs
Note: We are monitoring the time spent on each UXB to ensure the budget is maintained. So far, expenditures remain under budget, allowing us to reallocate some funds to future projects.
⇒ View the Budget per UXBs sheet
3. Q3 Refill Planning
Based on our projected burn rate and the scope of upcoming work, we may submit a refill request in Q3. We’ll assess remaining funds after Q2 to determine the appropriate timing and amount. The goal is to ensure continuity without disruption, especially as the UX Audit Grants, new UXBs, and our growing DevEx focus continue to scale.
We will share more details in advance of the proposal.
4. Work Progress
4.1. Achievements – Q1 2025
[UXB-1] – Unification of Address Format
- All 3 wallets are now ready for implementation.
- Hydration will upgrade to the new format in the coming weeks, with other parachains to follow.
- The goal is to finalize the upgrade across all active parachains by the end of 2025.
[UXB-2] – DOT as a Unified Gas Token
- A newly updated guide, based off feedback from the community and internal devs is now available.
- Remy and Cisco are offering help to parachains for implementation. Reach out if you need help!
[UXB-3] – Protective Measures for CEX Transfers
- The final document is now published.
- Wallet teams have been asked to implement the measures — though we don’t control their individual roadmaps.
[UXB-6] – UX Glossary
- UX Glossary v01 is live, focused on DeFi terminology.
- Teams like Bifrost, Hydration, Turtle, and Hyperbridge have been contacted and will adopt some of the terms.
- We’re actively supporting every relevant team with implementation. If you need help, you can book a 30min call with Alex.
UX Audit Grants Program
- The first batch (6 audits) is fully booked: SubSquare, Mimir, Polkassembly, SubWallet, Polimec, and Kylix.
- SubSquare’s audit was delivered in early April.
- Audits for Mimir and Polkassembly have been assigned and are currently in progress. Reports are scheduled for delivery in May and June, respectively.
- SubWallet is currently in the scoping phase. Polimec and Kylix are in the RFP response period.
- The second batch will open in early June.
⇒ Learn more about this program
Relay Chain Migration
- We’ve been supporting Parity’s Relay Chain migration to Asset Hub, coordinating with UI-facing teams to ensure a smooth transition and optimal UX for end users.
⇒ Learn more about the migration
4.2. Q2 and Looking Ahead
With the UX Audit Grants Program now underway, we aim to deliver 6 UX audits by the end of Q2. In parallel, curators have been actively working through the UX backlog — cleaning, refining, and prioritizing issues.
Starting in May, we’ll kick off four new UXBs:
- Unified UI Library
- Crypto Tax Reporting Tool
- Improved OpenGov Voting & Feedback System
- Bridge Discoverability
We’re also reviewing new grant applications that could be added as Ecosystem Standards, and additional projects are currently under discussion, with some expected to begin in early Q3.
As mentioned in the budget commentary section, we’ve also ramped up collaboration with ecosystem teams — and will continue to do so across several initiatives:
- Relay Chain Migration → Ongoing coordination with Parity until the migration to Asset Hub is complete.
- Cross-Bounty Strategy → Working with other bounties (e.g. Open Source Grants) to align funding models and define a shared strategy.
- DevEx → As noted in this tweet, we’re exploring how to improve the developer experience, with a focus on unifying efforts and avoiding duplication.
- Hub Initiative → Collaborating with Velocity Labs and Magenta Labs to ensure new builders have the right UX tools from day one. We’ll also offer UX support to teams building on Hub.
5. Stay Connected
To get all the updates from the UX Bounty, follow us on X, join the UX Guild on Telegram, or be on the lookout in the Forum 