Why Nostr is purple...

great tools like Nostr fail to gain traction

Some tools are brilliant in theory—robust, functional, and poised to solve real problems. Yet, they languish in obscurity, ignored by the masses. Why? Usability, or the lack thereof, often seals their fate. A tool can be groundbreaking, but if it’s clunky or inaccessible, it’s doomed to fail.

Take PGP, for instance. It’s a battle-tested encryption tool, a cornerstone of digital privacy. But its complexity alienates users, leaving it a relic for niche enthusiasts. Similarly, Podkicker Play, a well-designed podcast app, boasts thoughtful features but struggles to attract a user base.
Silent Payments in Bitcoin — a clever, privacy-focused feature—works flawlessly yet sees minimal adoption.
Also, the very tool I'm using to publish this blog (paradoxically enough on the nostr platform) is lacking basic functionality and is rather clunky to work with.

These examples share a common thread: great ideas, poor execution in user experience/onboarding.

Nostr: a promising platform that’s fading

Then there’s Nostr, a decentralized platform with immense potential.
It addresses critical issues like censorship and centralized control, offering a system that’s sound and functional. Unlike other platforms, Nostr allows users to mention competing networks freely—something Substack bloggers can’t do on X without risking suppression, or Instagram users can’t do with OnlyFans.

This censorship-free environment could make Nostr a haven for creators with diverse accounts and media types, yet it fails to capitalize on this strength. Outside a small circle of Bitcoin enthusiasts, Nostr is a ghost town. Even early adopters are drifting away, frustrated by its stagnation.

The platform’s purple logo might symbolize its struggle to breathe, suffocated by a lack of new users and real-world traction.
Data underscores this: while exact user numbers are hard to pin down due to Nostr’s decentralized nature, posts on X and web reports from 2024 suggest active daily users number in the low thousands, with engagement dropping steadily since its 2022 peak.

The core issue: poor onboarding and usability.
Nostr’s Achilles’ heel however is its onboarding process, or lack thereof.
The experience for newcomers is abysmal, with no clear incentive to join or stay.

Setting a preferred name and picture takes 17+ clicks and interactions, often involving unreliable services that “might” work. Posting a simple picture can feel like navigating a minefield. Many services, like NIP-05 alias and verification providers, are unpolished or abandoned.
For example, the Nostrplebs service lacks basic documentation and feels like a deserted project, with some providers even demanding Bitcoin for non-functional offerings.
This isn’t unique to Nostr. Many tech solutions, especially in the Bitcoin space, prioritize technical prowess over user-friendliness and remain largely untested or totally Alpha-phase level of implementation.

Bitcoin nodes, wallets, and services often suffer from the same flaw. Developers build for themselves, not the average person, creating platforms that feel exclusive and alienate anyone outside the echo chamber of early adopters.
If you build something innovative for free, it’s either ignored or copied for profit by those peddling useless merchandise.

Nostr is becoming a graveyard of good intentions, where promising ideas wither due to poor usability. Die-hard users are left talking to each other, while bots and nonsense flood the timeline with chaotic, haphazard drivel (old news, nature photos, and dreary influencers).

The quality of discussions is thin; one meaningful conversation a month is a generous estimate (in my personal experience which is kind of the same as what I hear from others).

Onboarding new users might work on a small scale, like at a conference, but active user numbers are declining rapidly. The lack of intuitive interfaces and sustainable tools compounds the issue. Existing tools are built on complex systems that feel unsustainable for consistent use, discouraging even tech-savvy creators from integrating Nostr into their workflows.

The path forward

To succeed, tools like Nostr need rigorous testing, well-funded developers, and welcoming onboarding experiences. Influential figures in the Bitcoin space, like Michael Saylor, could provide the support needed to elevate platforms like Nostr. Intuitive interfaces must bridge the gap between the tech-savvy and everyday users. Without this, even the most promising systems remain niche curiosities, gathering dust while less robust but more accessible alternatives thrive.

Nostr’s failure to escape its bubble highlights a broader issue: neglecting usability dooms adoption. Innovation, like its non-censoring stance toward content from other platforms, isn’t enough. Real-world usability is the key to turning potential into impact. Otherwise, Nostr risks fading from purple to blue and black, suffocating until it’s merely a clever way to generate a public and private key pair for a few enthusiasts.

The fact that new users can’t easily set their profile name or customize it is astonishing. Nostr feels like a home in a remote jungle, inaccessible to newcomers and guarded by a few bothersome chimpanzees, discouraging even dedicated visitors as its services build on shaky, unwelcoming foundations.

avb_21