editor's introduction: Today, whether in the capital circle, the entrepreneurial circle, or other traditional enterprises, Wbe3 has become a hot topic of discussion. So what significance and opportunities does Web3 have for users? The author talks about this matter from the perspective of user research, hoping it will be helpful to you.
WEB 3.0 is an increasingly hot topic recently. Whether it is the sensitive capital market or the enthusiastic entrepreneurial circle, whether it is traditional industries or emerging fields, everyone has paid great attention to this concept; it is not an exaggeration. Speaking of which, the current public discussion of Web 3.0 has become the hottest and loudest voice in popular business and social venues such as , Starbucks, and . Today we will try to briefly talk to you from the perspective of user research about the significance and opportunities of Web 3.0 for us users and researchers.
1. What is WEB 3.0
1. From 1.0 to 3.0
To explain clearly what Web 3.0 is, we need to introduce some concepts of its predecessor – Web 1.0 and web 2.0. This is a relatively complex proposition. We Try to dismantle it from a relatively simple perspective: The era of
Web 1.0 was an era dominated by portal websites. At the beginning of the rise of the Internet, portal websites dominated by , Sohu, , hao123, and NetEase set off a climax of fishing at work. At this time The services provided by the Internet to users are mainly the reading and viewing of information, and users are more passive in receiving information.
The era of Web 2.0 is an era of princes dominated by platforms. Whether it is Douban and Tianya on the PC, or Meituan , Xiaohongshu, Douyin in mobile applications, they are essentially scattered and numerous. Platform, in this era, in addition to passively receiving information, users can also produce and disseminate data.
These platforms are centered on their own platforms and conduct production, consumption, transactions, etc. based on user data. The platform does not need to communicate directly with users for the use of user data. The data between platforms are not connected to each other, and the ownership of the data belongs to the platform. itself. The era of
Web 3.0 is an era of decentralization. Blockchain encryption technology and a completely decentralized storage method can allow users to enjoy the ownership of data. Users can decide whether to open the data to a certain platform according to their own will. The platform cannot obtain or use the user's data without the user's permission.
2. From WEB 3.0 to the Metaverse
Web 3.0 is not an independent concept. It is essentially an integrated term for many new technologies such as blockchain encryption and decentralized storage methods. The greatest significance of such technology is to break through the platform as data The status quo of the owner makes the owner of the data become the creator of each data.
The concept of the metaverse originated from "Snow Crash" created by science fiction writer Stevenson in 1992. The most fundamental thing it wants to realize is that humans can realize the life, social interaction, shopping, leisure and entertainment that exist in the real world in the virtual world. Many original needs.
If the ownership of all production and life elements in the virtual world belongs to a certain platform, then there is essentially no fundamental difference from traditional online games. But the arrival of Web 3.0 makes this innovation of the Metaverse possible. It realizes the possibility that users can have ownership of the data they create, making the data itself part of the user's "private property". The emergence of "private property" is The Metaverse is different from traditional online games in that it makes the rules and sense of the virtual world closer to the core elements of real life itself.
In one sentence, Web 3.0 is the future technological trend and underlying foundation of the Internet, and the Metaverse is the future typical application scenarios and corresponding lifestyles.
3. From supply-driven to user-driven
Web 1.0 is a supply-driven era. Enterprises’ research on users is more at the interaction level, with more emphasis on the ease of use in tool rationality. For users, whether to use or not to use The logic of a product simply focuses on whether the content of the portal is rich enough.
Web 2.0 is a data-driven era. In this era, the breadth and depth of business coverage have increased, and the corresponding accumulated user data has also increased.Users create content and generate data, but users do not have ownership of the data. The platform is responsible for using the data. In terms of the
business model, everyone is working on the LTV (total life cycle value) model, which will make business recommendations based on the user's preferences within the platform, so that users can continue to use the business and improve the efficiency of user decision-making and user consumption. This has become a trend for everyone. The core issues that all platforms focus on.
In short, in this era, users are passive and the platform is active. The platform relies on data accumulation to implement different distribution strategies, operation strategies, etc. for different users. In fact, the position of users and merchants in the transaction process is unequal. Yes, users are even "controlled and manipulated" to a certain extent.
Web 3.0 is an era of user-driven decentralization. Compared with Web 2.0, the breadth and depth of Internet business coverage will continue to increase. Coupled with the development of the metaverse and virtual human technology, traditional network-based businesses will continue to expand in the physical world. The barriers on the Internet will gradually be broken down, and the data magnitude will be further enlarged. The difference between
and
is that based on the changes in technological methods, in the era of Web 3.0, all the content and data generated by users will be owned by themselves. Users are the creators of data, and they are also the owners of data.
The balance of transactions between users and merchants will gradually shift to users. Platforms can no longer use data advantages to strongly influence and guide users, and all use of user data requires user authorization. In this context, product In order to obtain user data, service providers have to be "user-centered" to the maximum extent, consider the needs of users, and meet the true wishes of users.
2. User research workers under Web 3.0
1. It is a means, but also the key
Compared with the previous two eras, the goal of user research in the Web 3.0 era will truly return to the users themselves, and its core is to respect everyone. Under the premise of a user's true wishes, we help companies and individuals in the new era shape a new world.
In the past user research work, the goal of the user research work was basically to define different supplies and supply methods for users at different levels based on the current supply situation on the premise of stratifying user profiles, demand analysis, usage habits, etc. . The essence of the logic behind it is that the business side, as the master of the platform, uses research methods to better manage production factors and achieve the most efficient and profit-maximizing matching.
In the context of the new era, the platform is not created by the business side. The main creator of the platform is the user himself. Any user's gain or loss will be the gain or loss of the platform itself. Therefore, if the business side wants to realize business value under such circumstances, it must understand users well enough, respect users enough, and communicate with users thoroughly and thoroughly. User research has therefore changed from a means to a key. , is a key that opens the platform door and enters the middle of the platform.
2. From connection to life
In the era of Web 3.0, the development of metaverse, virtual people, tokens and other technologies has made the network not only a connection between individuals, but also helped the network gradually break the limitations of objective physics from a simple connection , the infrastructure and facilities that realize the objective materialization of the world.
In the past, the essence of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 was to achieve better connections between individuals and between individuals and businesses and platforms. User researchers have done a lot of work on how to achieve better connections. Under Web 3.0 The topic of user research will be transferred and amplified to: for different users, how they want to live in the metaverse, how they want to carry out their own clothing, food, housing, transportation, eating, drinking, playing, having fun, etc.
In the future, in this era, all of this will be labeled as the era of the metaverse and be rebuilt, and the premise of construction is the early exploration of user researchers.
3. The Inspiration and Opportunities of the Times
User research itself is to study users, and the object of user research is users. Therefore, every user research worker naturally has deep feelings and great curiosity about users. We also have no There is no doubt that every user research worker always adheres to the user-centered creed when doing anything or projects.
But in the past era, the relationship between employers and users was not completely equal and balanced, and the rules of business society were largely constructed by employers, and users were only the fuel of business society. The imbalance of status between the two parties also led to the information gap of users. At that time, user research workers' research on users was just a means, with the purpose of helping employers better build a business world belonging to the employer, thereby achieving more business value. .
In the new era, the relationship between users and employers has gradually become balanced. Users have begun to participate in the construction process of the business world and assume an important position. Under this background, the relationship between employers and users is more like friends communicating on an equal footing. , and user research has become a bridge for smooth communication between employers and users. In an era like
, we might as well imagine that we will be the first explorers and discoverers in this new era and world construction. We are also the proposers, supporters and even supervisors of new rules. We are destined to It will shine to a greater extent in such an era!
This article was originally published by @优盈大 lecture hall on Everyone is a product manager. Reprinting without permission is prohibited.
title picture comes from Unsplash, based on CC0 protocol
