Arké now has a custom BDK-based onchain wallet to complement the Ark functionality. Onchain transactions now blend in seamlessly with Ark and Lightning.

The latest recovery phrase UI for Arké. You scratch off the surface to reveal the words. And there's a PDF to print and copy it onto that matches the two-column layout on the screen. Fold it twice, and put it in an envelope and tuck it away somewhere safe. Many won't print, but it might still be informative.

Feedback on Arké from TestFlight peeps is coming in and there's a lot to fix and improve. Nothing major luckily, but a ton of refinement. So far, so good.

Polishing a wallet UI is a ton of work. Was fixing a lot of details in the Arké send flow today around resolving BIP-353 addresses and showing the resolved address appropriately. With various input methods like manual, paste, scan, BIP-21 click, and contacts, it gets quite intricate quickly. And then add all the different address types on top of that. All just so users don't have to care and it "just works".

One of the interesting things about Ark (Second implementation) payments is that when you receive, you cannot see who sent it to you. There's no address in the data. Great for privacy, but can also be a bit confusing for users.

Cool that the future of the Bitcoin Core GUI is getting some discussion. There is a great QML replacement in the works, but it needs more developer contribution.

Bitcoin Design

Bitcoin Core App

This case study is shares the vision for the build process of Bitcoin Core App as well as it’s history.

Delving Bitcoin

The future of the Bitcoin Core GUI

A year ago i posted a call to action regarding Bitcoin Core’s priorities, which led to interesting discussions between some Bitcoin Core contribu...

Would love to see more Nostr apps that connect people in simple, fun, approachable, unique ways. What can be done beyond the text feed/forum/chat?

We had a nice project intro session about Arké yesterday, covering the origin story, ambitions, UX and design details, and lots more. Check it out.

Coming up soon (probably):

Arké

Pay with bitcoin. In stylé.

Arké is self-custodial. The app relies on iCloud and Keychain, which iOS users already trust. An Esplora server helps with bitcoin network data, and an Ark server helps with payments. So far there's no need for any other server infrastructure and I am looking to keep it that way if possible.

Arké

Pay with bitcoin. In stylé.

Arké is heading toward TestFlight alpha testing. It's an Ark wallet, based on the implementation by Second, and on signet at the moment. If you'd like to give it a whirl, there's a waitlist signup on the website:

Arké

Pay with bitcoin. In stylé.

Time to mess around and break things.

If bitcoin is good for data storage, anyone know how I can sync my iCloud to it? Would be nice to have an extra backup.

When you hide your balance in Arké, you see a nice scenic view of a Tuscan landscape instead. I find it feels quite nice. A masked balance ("*****") still makes you think about the balance. A nice landscape is more relaxing.

Arké is coming along nicely. I like this phase where you do a ton of small iteration and tweaking and you can feel the overall experience becoming more polished and smooth. And I am sure a whole bunch of my decisions will prove to be wrong in user testing. But that’s no reason not go out with opinionated UX. Have a good weekend. And let’s be kind to one another.

Took a brief look at QR code styling (difference in density comes from different error correction settings).

Ah, time to unfollow some people spreading replacement theory conspiracy theories. Astounding that anyone actually believes this stuff.

Super messy Arké update, but here we go. Unilateral exit, fee summary, activity & console. Like insurance, unilateral exit is one of those things that you really never want to use, but still want to have just in case. So if the Ark server goes away, you can still recover your funds. Still need to wrangle a lot of tech into submissions and polish the UI to glory.

I always take a ton of screenshots when I build something, and annotate them thoroughly. That, and tons of testing, is pretty much the only way to be sure it's all smooth and polished.

Working through the unilateral exit in Arké. I think it can be pretty simple in the end, but there's a lot of complexity under the hood to work through. It's an essential part, as this is what lets you recover your bitcoin even if the server that facilitates your payments goes away (or turns into a diamond-covered skull, I heard that could happen).

Wrote something about the goals for Arké. Feedback appreciated.

Arké

Ark, eh?