Educational Crypto Wallet Feedback

[dgoon]

The Project:
I have been working on an educational wallet that focuses on helping people learn about and use cryptocurrencies. I plan to offer an all in one solution for Crypto use. Instead of using different wallets, youtube, etc someone could use Guiding wallet and get a smoother path into crypto. I plan to monetize this with a membership fee eventually.

Current Features:
Hardware Wallet Only Native Support
Trivia Shows
Educational Tutorials and Videos
Currently BTC Testnet Only
Integrated Tor
Windows and Mac Support

Planned Features:
Encrypted Customer Support
Monero Support
BTC Multisig Support

Info:
Website: https://guidingwallet.app/
Github: https://github.com/DecentralizeJustice/GWDesk

How You Can Help:
At this time in the project I could really use some feedback. I have been showing the wallet to people and they say its a good idea , but no one downloads it or shows up for the trivia show. Instead of guessing what people think about my wallet, It would be great to have some feedback. Thank you so much for looking over my project and have a great day.  

[CCWC]

Hello, Im a fellow Crypto enthusiast. I would love to come the table and present my ideas. I believe I can provide insight on strategy and marketing. Im working on a project myself and perhaps you may be able to provide insight.

[dgoon]

Do you have a link to your project? Also feel free to drop any tips or feedback for my wallet here.

[bitmover]

How You Can Help:
At this time in the project I could really use some feedback. I have been showing the wallet to people and they say its a good idea , but no one downloads it or shows up for the trivia show. Instead of guessing what people think about my wallet, It would be great to have some feedback. Thank you so much for looking over my project and have a great day. 

I think your idea is very good.

But I think it people are scared to download things in the web, specially crypto currency users.  It is good that it is open-source, but people are not auditing your code, so I don't know now if there isn't a malware in it.

Personally, I wouldn't download it to test... A web version would be unsafe. Maybe a mobile version would be better and safer to download.

[dgoon]

Personally, I wouldn't download it to test... A web version would be unsafe. Maybe a mobile version would be better and safer to download.

Yeah that's something that I tried to help out by having a gameshow where people can win some crypto and learn; entice people to get over the trust hurdle of downloading. My first iteration of this wallet was mobile, but it just lacked the functionality of a desktop app. Desktop allows us to have great Trezor hardware wallet integrations, easier automatic tor, and a better lesson viewing experience. Thanks for the support and honest feedback bitmover. Hopefully overtime I can build up enough reputation so that people take a shot on it.

[bitmover]

My first iteration of this wallet was mobile, but it just lacked the functionality of a desktop app. Desktop allows us to have great Trezor hardware wallet integrations, easier automatic tor, and a better lesson viewing experience. Thanks for the support and honest feedback bitmover. Hopefully overtime I can build up enough reputation so that people take a shot on it.

Maybe the mobile version will help you build reputation. Can't you integrate it with ledger nano X? I think it has bluetooth.

 Well, it is one more place to let people know about your project.
Over the time you will build some reputation if you stay active.

[dgoon]

Ledger doesn't let third party apps update the device, and we offer automatic updates for Trezor, since they allow them. One reason that someone would pay for the wallet would be convenience and Ledger is so locked down that we can't support Ledger without other apps which isn't really convenient. Here is core dev achow101 talking about the ledger limitations  https://github.com/bitcoin-core/HWI/issues/112#issuecomment-575338391 . We use the hwi libary from bitcoin core, its great for wallet devs. I will keep the mobile wallet idea in my mind though if I can't get any traction without it. 

Do you know of anywhere else people would support a project like this? I currently post to Reddit, Twitter, and some Facebook groups regularly.

[Vod]

Ledger doesn't let third party apps update the device, and we offer automatic updates for Trezor, since they allow them.

Ouch.  I think that feature is incompatible with crypto storage.  :/

[dgoon]

Oh yeah I just re-read that and it sounds sketch. What I mean is that we tell the user that they need to update their hardware wallet firmware and guide them through that process. At best Electrum will just block you from using your hw and tell you to go update it. So we offer integrated and guided hw wallet updates, not automatic. or were you referring to the 'third party' bit and not the 'automatic update' part Vod?
Edit: I did more research and electrum will even let you use an not updated hw with it, it just gives you a warning. https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum/issues/5391 I think this is bad for a lot of users, but they do it to support a bunch of use cases  

[SFR10]

Is it possible to just get rid of the direct integration part and have everything hosted on your website ^{[not referring to a live version that actually works in real life]}? Something like building a similar interface and let users interact, without having to worry about downloading anything or certain consequences if they mess up something in the process ^{[since you're targeting beginners, as long as you're capable of replicating the experience, it'll surely have a better impact than if something was on the line]}.

Trivia Shows

Big fan of these

Educational Tutorials and Videos

I watched one of your lessons and it was good but if you could make it more fun, it'll be better for the viewers ^{[as it stands, IMHO is a little bit boring [sorry if I sounded harsh]]}.

[CCWC]

Not yet should have the a prototype in the upcoming weeks. Have you considered a white label product?

[dgoon]

Is it possible to just get rid of the direct integration part and have everything hosted on your website ^{[not referring to a live version that actually works in real life]}? Something like building a similar interface and let users interact, without having to worry about downloading anything or certain consequences if they mess up something in the process ^{[since you're targeting beginners, as long as you're capable of replicating the experience, it'll surely have a better impact than if something was on the line]}.

What your saying makes 100% sense. I am going to separate the wallet/triviashow part, and put everything else on the website. The app does create a large barrier to entry that I think I can remove. The feedback here is making that clearer to me.

I watched one of your lessons and it was good but if you could make it more fun, it'll be better for the viewers ^{[as it stands, IMHO is a little bit boring [sorry if I sounded harsh]]}.

No thank you for the honest feedback, I don't want anything less  .  I am going to make more entertaining lessons. I am working on one about the cryptonote/bitmonero/monero history with some animations and what not.

I am so grateful the feedback that I have gotten here. I'm going to spend the next week:

• Putting All The Lessons/TriviaShow On the Website, so people don't have to download things to get started.
• Making More Entertaining/Educational Content

[CCWC]

I saw you on FB couldn't remember from what group. I have a nice size group on FB dedicated to Cryptocurrency. We need to link up and exchange ideas.

[dgoon]

I saw you on FB couldn't remember from what group. I have a nice size group on FB dedicated to Cryptocurrency. We need to link up and exchange ideas.

Feel free to pm me 

[bitmover]

Oh yeah I just re-read that and it sounds sketch. What I mean is that we tell the user that they need to update their hardware wallet firmware and guide them through that process.

But why you want to do this?

Personally, I dont like to update my hw firmware  unless it is strictly necessary.
Why would I update a devi e which is already working properly,  to test some new update before everyone else, which may have a problem?

When you tell your user to update their firmware, you might be exposing them.
There was phising attack going on electrum users , which asked every user to download a fake electrum (because their software had a security issue).

If that happened to electrum, this might happen to your app as well.

I would not bother to ask for firmware updates. They are not that important, and they can ruin your reputation if something goes wrong in the process (if there is a vulnerability in your wallet and some attacker asks to download his new firmware)

[dgoon]

If that happened to electrum, this might happen to your app as well.

Every update is signed from trezor and the wallet has a built in defense mechanism for verifying firmware independent of the software on the host machine https://wiki.trezor.io/Security:Threats#Reflashing_the_Trezor_with_malicious_firmware . To exploit the firmware a user would have to ignore all warnings their wallet is throwing at them and re-enter their mnemonic and/or passphrase.

Personally, I dont like to update my hw firmware  unless it is strictly necessary.
Why would I update a devi e which is already working properly,  to test some new update before everyone else, which may have a problem?

The trezor team is a great and their has not been any instance of an update creating a vulnerability afaik. You should feel free to update your device as you see fit, but I think users should default to updating since this default does not have a history exposing hw users to any security vulnerabilities.

[bitmover]

The trezor team is a great and their has not been any instance of an update creating a vulnerability afaik. You should feel free to update your device as you see fit, but I think users should default to updating since this default does not have a history exposing hw users to any security vulnerabilities.

I had already updated the firmware, and then the device reset widhout any warning.

This is not a pleasant experience, even when you have your seeds backed up.

In my case, there was no warning about the reset.
This happened to this guy here, but there are many reports around. AFAIK, ledger fixed it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ledgerwallet/comments/bfvklf/help_firmware_updated_and_now_ledger_is_reset/

[dgoon]

It makes sense that after that awful experience that you would want to take the time and responsibility to check the change-logs/post about which updates affect you and which don't. It also makes sense why electrum lets users continue without having the latest firmware since they don't advertise themselves as a guiding wallet. With electrum your in full control and bear full responsibility for what choices you make, informed or not informed. Since a principle of my wallet is guiding users and picking the safest path for them follow, I am confident that requiring them to update is the right move. You have changed my mind about electrum allowing outdated firmware with hw's and that choice makes perfect sense for someone like you who will check all the changelogs and verfiy that you don't need them every time before you use your wallet.  I don't expect my users to have that kind of diligence to avoid inconvenience though. Thanks for making this clearer to me bitmover.