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Caravan

Making Bitcoin self-custody simple, not scary

Making Bitcoin self-custody simple, not scary

Making Bitcoin self-custody simple, not scary

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Caravan

The Context

During the Summer of Bitcoin 2024 program, I was selected to lead the UX redesign of Caravan, Unchained Capital’s open-source Bitcoin multisig coordinator. My mission was to transform a complex, developer-oriented tool into an intuitive, high-confidence user experience for all Bitcoin holders. I audited existing UX bottlenecks, streamlined complex multisig workflows, and delivered a polished, production-ready interface that bridged technical functionality with user-centered design.

The Problem

There was no seamless experience for everyday users managing multisig Bitcoin wallets.

Caravan's existing interface was built by developers for developers. The visual complexity, unclear navigation, and dense information architecture made it difficult for non-technical users to confidently create wallets, manage UTXOs, or sign transactions — creating a significant usability gap.

Client

Caravan

Year

2024

Duration

3 Months

Type

Multisig

Industry

Blockchain

Scope

UI/UX
Wireframe
Digital Design
Design System

The Objectives

Research, redesign, and deliver a modern interface for Caravan that any Bitcoin user can confidently navigate — with a focus on clarity, accessibility, and trust.

This involved a full UX design thinking process: deep user research, synthesis, visual language creation, design system, and high-fidelity screens for all 7 core flows of the application.

The Approach

  1. EMPATHISE

2. CONCEPTUALISE

3. DESIGN

  1. EMPATHISE

2

3

I lacked real understanding of who Caravan's users were and what was holding them back.

  1. What were the current frustrations with managing a multisig wallet?

  2. Where were users dropping off in the signing and UTXO flows?

  3. What did they need to feel confident, not just capable?




  1. What were the current frustrations with managing a multisig wallet?

  2. Where were users dropping off in the signing and UTXO flows?

  3. What did they need to feel confident, not just capable?

I ran an intensive research sprint to build real empathy with users.

  1. Conducted user interviews with Bitcoin holders of varying technical backgrounds.

  2. Investigated Bitcoin forums, Reddit communities, and Telegram groups.

  3. Performed competitor analysis across other multisig tools.


  1. Conducted user interviews with Bitcoin holders of varying technical backgrounds.

  2. Investigated Bitcoin forums, Reddit communities, and Telegram groups.

  3. Performed competitor analysis across other multisig tools.

User Interviews

  1. Users found UTXO visualization confusing and overwhelming without context.

  2. The wallet setup process felt intimidating, too many unfamiliar terms upfront.

  3. Users wanted clearer confirmation at every step of the signing flow.

Community Investigations

  1. Common complaint: no visual feedback after performing key actions.

  2. Users felt uncertain whether they had "done it right" during QR code flows.

  3. Non-technical users abandoned the app at the receiving page due to complexity.

Competitor Analysis

  1. Competing tools like Sparrow Wallet use progressive disclosure more effectively.

  2. Gaps in Caravan: no onboarding flow, dense sidebar, no empty state guidance.

  3. Opportunity to lead on accessibility, most Bitcoin tools ignore it entirely.

Key Insight

  1. The existing UI didn't distinguish between beginner and advanced users.

  2. Security-critical steps lacked visual hierarchy, everything looked equally important.

  3. Users wanted the app to feel trustworthy, not just functional.

  1. The existing UI didn't distinguish between beginner and advanced users.

  2. Security-critical steps lacked visual hierarchy, everything looked equally important.

  3. Users wanted the app to feel trustworthy, not just functional.


1

2. CONCEPTUALISE

3

I was overwhelmed with data, needed to prioritize and form a clear design strategy.

  1. Understand and rank the most critical pain points, wants, and needs.

  2. Classify insights by frequency and severity across user types.

  3. Present the synthesis to the Unchained Capital team for alignment.


  1. Understand and rank the most critical pain points, wants, and needs.

  2. Classify insights by frequency and severity across user types.

  3. Present the synthesis to the Unchained Capital team for alignment.

I translated research into a product strategy and experience framework.

  1. Created affinity maps to cluster pain points by theme.

  2. Built a customer journey map across the full wallet lifecycle.

  3. Prioritized the 7 core screens for redesign based on drop-off risk.


  1. Created affinity maps to cluster pain points by theme.

  2. Built a customer journey map across the full wallet lifecycle.

  3. Prioritized the 7 core screens for redesign based on drop-off risk.

Affinity Map

  1. 3 major clusters: Navigation confusion, Trust deficit, Information overload.

  2. Most critical moments: wallet creation, transaction signing, receiving Bitcoin.

  3. Secondary: UTXO management and address book usability.


  1. 3 major clusters: Navigation confusion, Trust deficit, Information overload.

  2. Most critical moments: wallet creation, transaction signing, receiving Bitcoin.

  3. Secondary: UTXO management and address book usability.

Customer Journey Map

  1. Identified 4 major emotional drops across the 7-screen flow.

  2. Biggest friction: the transition from setup to first wallet overview.

  3. Opportunity: redesign empty states as entry points, not dead ends.

Key Takeaways

  1. Clarity and trust are more valuable than feature depth for this user base.

  2. Mobile-first design was non-negotiable, many users access on phones.

  3. A design system was critical to bring visual consistency to a fragmented UI.


  1. Clarity and trust are more valuable than feature depth for this user base.

  2. Mobile-first design was non-negotiable, many users access on phones.

  3. A design system was critical to bring visual consistency to a fragmented UI.

Strategic Direction

  1. Redesign: landing page, wallet setup, wallet overview, send, receive, UTXOs, addresses,

  2. Build a reusable design system before touching any screen.

  3. Anchor all decisions to the core principle: make users feel safe, not just smart.


  1. Redesign: landing page, wallet setup, wallet overview, send, receive, UTXOs, addresses,

  2. Build a reusable design system before touching any screen.

  3. Anchor all decisions to the core principle: make users feel safe, not just smart.

1

2

3. DESIGN

The timeline was tight. Key design decisions needed to be made fast.

  1. Should the visual language evoke Bitcoin's community or signal fresh modernity?

  2. Was a full design system worth building before high-fidelity screens?

  3. Which screen should come first to unblock the most user value?


  1. Should the visual language evoke Bitcoin's community or signal fresh modernity?

  2. Was a full design system worth building before high-fidelity screens?

  3. Which screen should come first to unblock the most user value?

Once the burning questions were answered, we built fast and deliberately.

  1. Built a complete design system first, tokens, components, and patterns.

  2. Established a visual language that bridged Bitcoin familiarity with clean modernity.

  3. Prioritized the landing page and wallet flow as the foundation.

From the start, there were layers of complexity to navigate, redesigning a tool deeply tied to Bitcoin's technical infrastructure while making it feel accessible to everyday users. It was a real challenge to work from an existing interface that had never been designed with UX in mind, figuring out what to refine and what to completely rethink from the ground up.


Throughout the project, I went through multiple wireframe iterations and had extensive conversations with the Caravan team about the nuances of each flow, from wallet creation to transaction signing. On top of that, the UI was designed to feel trustworthy and effortless, so users could focus on securing their Bitcoin, not deciphering the interface.

From the start, there were layers of complexity to navigate, redesigning a tool deeply tied to Bitcoin's technical infrastructure while making it feel accessible to everyday users. It was a real challenge to work from an existing interface that had never been designed with UX in mind, figuring out what to refine and what to completely rethink from the ground up.


Throughout the project, I went through multiple wireframe iterations and had extensive conversations with the Caravan team about the nuances of each flow, from wallet creation to transaction signing. On top of that, the UI was designed to feel trustworthy and effortless, so users could focus on securing their Bitcoin, not deciphering the interface.

“Sodiq was fantastic to work with - always positive and receptive to constructive criticism. He was always very communicative and punctual for meetings. His design work was clean and in line with the overall design request that was made at the outset of the project.”

“Sodiq was fantastic to work with - always positive and receptive to constructive criticism. He was always very communicative and punctual for meetings. His design work was clean and in line with the overall design request that was made at the outset of the project.”

Justin Evidon

Product Manger at Unchained Capital

The before screens (Existing Caravan Designs)

The before screens (Existing Caravan Designs)

The after screens (New Caravan Designs)

The after screens (New Caravan Designs)

Live site

Caravan

We delivered a complete redesign of Caravan and shipped it to the Unchained Capital team. Seven core screens were fully redesigned, from the landing page through to addresses, and a complete design system was built from scratch in Figma. Because the work is open source, its impact extends well beyond the initial handoff: anyone can build on it.


The project earned recognition in Unchained Capital’s 2024 Open Source Contributions Report. In their annual recap, the team highlighted Sodiq Arilewola’s redesign as a meaningful contribution to the Caravan ecosystem and the wider Bitcoin open-source community.

We delivered a complete redesign of Caravan and shipped it to the Unchained Capital team. Seven core screens were fully redesigned, from the landing page through to addresses, and a complete design system was built from scratch in Figma. Because the work is open source, its impact extends well beyond the initial handoff: anyone can build on it.


The project earned recognition in Unchained Capital’s 2024 Open Source Contributions Report. In their annual recap, the team highlighted Sodiq Arilewola’s redesign as a meaningful contribution to the Caravan ecosystem and the wider Bitcoin open-source community.

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arilewolasodiq@gmail.com

+234 703 666 1092

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arilewolasodiq@gmail.com

+234 703 666 1092

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X (Formerly Twitter)

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2026 Arilewola Sodiq. All rights reserved.

Let’s work together

arilewolasodiq@gmail.com

+234 703 666 1092

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2026 Arilewola Sodiq. All rights reserved.

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