Be Your Own Best Use Case: A Framework for Building Web 2.5 Platforms
Two Major Players in the Blockchain Ecosystem
Consumer blockchain platforms are composed of two major players who contribute to the success, longevity and allure of the chain. There are the users of decentralized applications (dApps) and the builders who develop the infrastructure, applications, and protocols that allow the ecosystem to flourish.
What Blockchain Solves — and What It Doesn’t
For users, blockchain offers a sense of ownership and continuity across different applications. This isn’t a new concept, though. Think of platforms like Xbox Live, where gamers have profiles that track achievements across multiple games. Blockchain adds value in this space but doesn’t fundamentally create new opportunities here.
For builders, blockchain’s real innovation is in reducing barriers to entry. It offers a platform that gives immediate access to networks where user data is interoperable across applications. No longer are digital assets and information locked into specific ecosystems. Builders can leverage existing networks to create new experiences, without having to start from scratch. Now imagine those gamers being able to use a piece of armor, a character or a team across all games on the platform — and new game developers can easily build new games using those same objects.
Just because something can be decentralized doesn’t mean it should be. Building on blockchain just for the sake of it often leads to bloated applications that miss the point. The technology needs to solve real-world problems at the application level.
NFTs Missed the Mark — But Builders Hold the Key
One of the most talked-about applications of blockchain, NFTs (non-fungible tokens), has shown promise but lacks a killer use case. Most NFTs focused on the user side of things — giving people ownership of digital collectibles. But ownership itself isn’t revolutionary. The real value proposition lies with builders creating novel utility based on user ownership. Whether it’s tradability, marketplaces, gamification or monetization, the value of NFTs are derived by their utilization within — and ultimately across — dApps.
The potential for NFTs isn’t in the collectibles themselves; it’s in creating platforms with low friction that enable network effects. In doing so, user and customer feedback takes the main stage. Innovative use cases and iteration no longer falls on a single development team or company. The more seamlessly assets and information can flow across different dApps, the better the experience for users — and the more valuable the NFTs and the blockchain which hosts them becomes.
The Framework: Be Your Own Best Use Case
To succeed in this evolving landscape, blockchain innovators need to build platforms that can be iterated on, and showcase their own killer use cases with respect to on-chain digital assets.
Here’s how you can do that:
Create a dApp that showcases the value of your platform. However, the goal isn’t to make this dApp the end-all, be-all — it’s to demonstrate the platform’s capabilities without trapping users or builders inside your ecosystem.
Monetize your dApp, not the on-chain interactions. Let the platform grow as a foundation for others, and don’t over-complicate it with unnecessary limitations. Users will gravitate toward the applications that provide ongoing value. Over time, use cases with the most traction will help you develop profitable dApps on top of the platform.
Longevity matters. Design the platform to last and allow other developers to build and add value. As the ecosystem expands, so will your platform’s reputation and power.
Designing Your Platform: The Two Core Components
A successful blockchain platform consists of two critical parts.
The On-Chain Object: Simple but Powerful
The on-chain object should prioritize ownership and interoperability. The simpler, the better. Your token or NFT should serve one main purpose: maintaining ownership of an asset, along with some basic metadata like the amount and transaction history.
Here’s why simplicity matters:
Interoperability: Blockchain’s greatest strength is its ability to interact with other systems. The more complex and branded your on-chain object is, the more difficult it is for other developers to adopt and use it.
Data Flexibility: Blockchain is a massive, decentralized database. Let the blockchain handle key ownership data — like when the object was minted, who owns it, and when it was transferred. Leave other details, such as app-specific functionalities, off-chain. This lets other builders work with your object without being constrained by your application’s code or standards. Use the chain to determine what a user owns. Use your application to determine how they can use it.
Your Web2.5 Use Case: Driving Value with Familiar Tools
Web 2.5, a hybrid approach leveraging both blockchain technology and traditional Web2 infrastructures, is crucial for delivering value. While the blockchain ensures interoperability, it doesn’t automatically provide value — this is where your use case comes into play.
Utility and Gamification: Build utility into your application that interacts with on-chain assets. Gamification, customization, and personalization can all enhance the user experience.
Keep the Value in Your App: You don’t need to put everything on-chain. This allows other builders to use your on-chain objects for their own projects while you maintain control of the user experience.
Abstract On-Chain Interactions: Not every app needs a “Connect Wallet” button. Web2 elements should be the default to avoid confusing users. Allow users to opt-in to blockchain features when they feel comfortable, creating a smoother user experience.
Example: The Nameless Platform
So how does this framework look in practice? A lot of these ideas were the motivation behind Nameless. Nameless is a platform designed to enhance customer engagement for event organizers by distributing digital collectibles on-chain.
Nameless was designed to solve a real life problem that the team faced when hosting events — how do we create memorable, spam-free data capture at events which can in turn build customer loyalty?
On-Chain Digital Collectibles: Nameless utilizes the Aptos blockchain to mint digital collectibles that users receive through the platform. At their core, these collectibles are simple, with on-chain metadata like name, description, rarity, and media. Any advanced functionality or interaction with these tokens remains native to the Nameless App, allowing for greater flexibility and customization without locking the collectibles into a single-use case.
Web 2.5 Products: Nameless integrates blockchain seamlessly with a suite of applications and APIs, adding utility to the digital collectibles. Features like gamification, unique distribution methods, and marketplace functionality are built into the platform, allowing users to interact with tokens through familiar Web2 interfaces. The actual on-chain interactions, such as creating wallets and minting tokens, happen behind the scenes. Users can engage with the platform without needing to understand the complexities of blockchain.
Nameless is focused on solving issues of in-event data capture and post event engagement for brands in the experiential marketing space. However, the platform is designed to encourage other builders to find additional use cases for using digital collectibles as data capture — whether through creating new utility, community tools for token holders, or entirely novel solutions in new markets that Nameless hasn’t yet imagined. The open nature of blockchain means that anyone can access these tokens and create innovative ways to distribute, interact with, or utilize them, driving continuous growth and value creation.
That is the essence of “be your own best use case”. Use your platform to demonstrate how Web3 technology can solve a real world problem and build on-chain that encourage others to solve their own valuable problems using Web3.