Web3 User Journey Mapping: Your Complete Guide to Onchain Analytics

Understanding user behaviour across Web3's fragmented ecosystem remains one of the biggest challenges for growth teams. Traditional analytics tools fall short because they can't track the complete user story—from that first click on your website to their final onchain transaction. This disconnect leaves teams making decisions in the dark, missing crucial insights about where users drop off and what drives real conversions.

Web3 user journeys span two distinct worlds: offchain interactions (website visits, social media engagement, Discord activity) and onchain actions (token swaps, NFT mints, staking transactions). Without a unified view of this complete journey, you're essentially flying blind when it comes to optimising user acquisition and retention.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through Web3 User Journey Mapping—a systematic approach to visualising how users interact with your dApp from their first touchpoint to their final transaction. You'll learn how to identify drop-off points, understand user behaviour patterns, and ultimately optimise for sustainable growth.

We'll also learn how you can use data platforms like Formo to unify onchain and offchain data into a single, actionable dashboard for your entire team, from product to marketing.

What is Web3 User Journey Mapping?

Web3 User Journey Mapping is the process of visualising the complete path a user takes when interacting with an web3 / onchain application and protocol, represented by their wallet address rather than traditional identifiers like usernames or email addresses. This journey spans from their initial off-chain touchpoint—perhaps discovering your project through Twitter or Discord—to their final on-chain transaction.

Unlike traditional Web2 analytics where user behaviour follows predictable, linear paths, Web3 user journeys are inherently complex. Users might visit your website multiple times, engage with your community on various platforms, connect and disconnect wallets, and perform transactions across different chains—all while remaining pseudonymous.

Why Web3 User Journey Mapping Matters

The importance of mapping these journeys cannot be overstated. Here's why it's become essential for Web3 growth teams:

• Measuring True Marketing ROI: Traditional marketing attribution breaks down when conversions happen onchain. You might drive thousands of website visitors through a Twitter campaign, but without proper journey mapping, you can't determine which visitors actually converted into valuable users who performed meaningful onchain actions. Onchain attribution solves this for web3 marketing teams.

• Identifying Friction Points: Web3 onboarding involves unique challenges—wallet connections, gas fees, complex interfaces, and multi-step transaction flows. Journey mapping reveals exactly where users get stuck, whether it's during wallet connection, transaction signing, or somewhere in between.

• Understanding User Behaviour: Anonymous wallet addresses tell you little about user motivations. Journey mapping combined with wallet intelligence helps you understand what drives user engagement, retention, and long-term value.

Key Differences from Web2 Journey Mapping

Web3 user journey mapping differs fundamentally from traditional approaches:

• Identity Management: Instead of tracking users through email addresses or login credentials, Web3 relies on wallet addresses. This pseudonymous approach requires sophisticated identity resolution to connect offchain and onchain activities.

• Data Sources: User data combines offchain browser events (page views, clicks, form submissions) with public onchain transaction data (smart contract interactions, token transfers, DeFi activities).

• Conversion Goals: Success metrics often centre on onchain actions—token swaps, NFT purchases, governance participation, or protocol interactions—rather than traditional conversions like form submissions or purchases.

Key Components of a Web3 User Journey Map

Web3 User Personas Through Wallet Intelligence

Traditional user personas rely on demographic surveys and behavioural interviews. In Web3, personas are built around wallet addresses and their onchain history, creating what's known as Wallet Intelligence.

Modern analytics platforms like Formo create comprehensive wallet profiles by analysing:

• Transaction History: Past interactions with DeFi protocols, NFT marketplaces, and other dApps

• Token Holdings: Current portfolio composition and asset diversity

• Transaction Velocity: Frequency and volume of onchain activities

• Wallet Labels: Classifications like 'DeFi Power User', 'NFT Collector', or 'Governance Participant'

• Wallet Age: How long the address has been active onchain

• Cross-Chain Activity: Interactions across multiple blockchain networks

This wallet intelligence forms the foundation of a Web3 CRM, enabling teams to understand user segments without compromising privacy or requiring explicit user data collection.

Touchpoints: Mapping Onchain and Offchain Interactions

Web3 user journeys involve two distinct categories of touchpoints that must be unified for complete visibility:

Offchain Touchpoints include:

• Social media clicks from Twitter, Discord, or Telegram

• Website visits and page navigation

• Documentation reads and tutorial engagement

• Community forum participation

• Email newsletter interactions

• Referral link clicks

Onchain Touchpoints encompass:

• Wallet connection events

• Transaction signatures and approvals

• Smart contract interactions

• Token swaps and transfers

• NFT minting and trading

• Staking and yield farming activities

• Governance voting participation

The challenge lies in connecting these disparate data points to understand the complete user story. This requires sophisticated attribution models that can link a user's offchain discovery journey to their eventual onchain actions.

How to Build a Web3 User Journey Map in 4 Steps

Step 1: Collect and Unify Your Data

The foundation of effective Web3 user journey mapping lies in comprehensive data collection that spans both offchain and onchain activities. This requires both quantitative event data and qualitative user insights.

Quantitative Data Collection:
Modern Web3 analytics platforms like Formo provide SDKs that automatically capture:

• Frontend events (page views, button clicks, form interactions)

• Wallet connection and disconnection events

• Transaction initiation and completion

• Smart contract interaction data

• Cross-chain transaction tracking

Qualitative Data Sources:

• User interviews, surveys, and community feedback

• Discord and Telegram sentiment analysis

• Support ticket themes and common questions

• Beta tester feedback and behaviour observations

The key is unifying these data streams into a single source of truth. Formo's SDK, for example, automatically captures both offchain events and onchain activities, eliminating the need to manually stitch together data from multiple web, product, and onchain analytics tools.

Step 2: Identify Key User Flows with Path Analytics

Path Analytics reveals the actual routes users take through your dApp, not just the ones you expect or designed for. This analysis helps identify the most common conversion paths and unexpected user behaviours.

A typical Web3 user flow might look like:
Twitter Click → Landing Page Visit → Documentation Read → Wallet Connect → Browse Features → Drop Off

Or for successful conversions:
Discord Link → Website Visit → Wallet Connect → Tutorial Follow → First Transaction → Return Usage

Path Analytics tools help you discover:

• Which acquisition channels lead to the highest-quality users

• Common pathways to conversion and the steps involved

• Unexpected user behaviours that indicate product-market fit

• Loops and repetitive actions that suggest user confusion

Step 3: Analyse Drop-off Points and User Loops

Once you've identified common user flows, the next step is pinpointing where users leave and why they might be getting stuck. This analysis reveals critical friction points that impact conversion rates.

Common Web3 drop-off points include:

• Post-wallet connection: Users connect their wallet but never sign a transaction

• Transaction approval: Users initiate but abandon transactions due to high gas fees

• Onboarding complexity: Multi-step processes that overwhelm new users

• Feature discovery: Users can't find or understand key functionality

Web3 Funnel Analytics tools help measure conversion rates for specific, predefined paths. For example, you might track the conversion rate from "Wallet Connected" to "First Transaction Completed" and discover that only 30% of users who connect their wallets actually complete a transaction.

User loops—repetitive actions that suggest confusion—are equally important. You might discover users repeatedly connecting and disconnecting wallets, indicating uncertainty about transaction costs or security concerns.

Step 4: Segment Users and Optimise the Journey

The final step involves segmenting users into meaningful cohorts based on their onchain profiles and behaviours, then optimising the journey for each segment.

Common Web3 User Segments:

• Crypto Natives: Experienced users with diverse DeFi activity

• New Wallets: Fresh addresses with minimal onchain history

• High-Value Whales: Users with substantial token holdings

• Active Contributors: Regular participants in governance or community activities

• Dormant Users: Previously active wallets showing declining engagement

Different segments often follow distinct paths to conversion. For instance:

• Crypto natives might skip educational content and head straight to advanced features

• New wallets require more hand-holding and educational resources

• High-value users might expect premium support and exclusive features

User segmentation enables personalised experiences for and targeted retention strategies for each group of users. Send the right message at the right time, every time.

How Formo Powers Your Web3 User Journey Mapping

Unified Analytics Platform

Formo is a single source of truth for your Web3 analytics, eliminating the need to juggle multiple tools like Google Analytics, Amplitude, Dune dashboards, and custom tracking solutions. The platform provides:

• Path Analytics: Visualise the exact routes users take through your dApp, from initial website visit to final onchain transaction. This feature identifies the most common conversion paths and reveals unexpected user behaviours.

• Funnel Analytics: Measure conversion rates for specific user flows, such as the progression from wallet connection to first transaction. This helps quantify the impact of onboarding improvements and feature changes.

• Retention Cohorts: Track how different user segments engage with your dApp over time, identifying which acquisition channels and user types provide the highest long-term value.

Deep Wallet Intelligence

Formo's wallet profiling system transforms anonymous addresses into actionable user personas. The platform analyses wallet histories to provide:

• Comprehensive Wallet Profiles: 360° view of any wallet's onchain activity, including transaction history, token holdings, DeFi protocol usage, and NFT collections

• Dynamic User Segmentation: Real-time categorisation of users based on their evolving onchain behaviour

• Intent Scoring: Algorithms that identify high-potential, qualified onchain users based on their activity patterns and wallet characteristics

This wallet intelligence enables sophisticated targeting and personalisation strategies that go far beyond traditional demographic segmentation.

Privacy-First Architecture

Formo addresses growing privacy concerns in Web3 by implementing a privacy-first approach:

• No third-party cookies: The platform doesn't rely on invasive browser tracking

• No device fingerprinting: User privacy is maintained through wallet-based identification

• No IP address collection: Invasive location tracking is avoided entirely

This approach ensures compliance with privacy regulations while still providing comprehensive analytics insights.

Tools and Technologies for Web3 User Journey Mapping

Web3 Analytics Platforms

Formo: Comprehensive analytics platform that unifies onchain and offchain data, providing path analytics, funnel analysis, and wallet intelligence in a single dashboard.

Dune Analytics: Community-driven platform for creating custom blockchain data dashboards, though it requires SQL expertise and doesn't capture offchain events.

Nansen: Focuses on onchain analytics with wallet labelling and portfolio tracking, but lacks offchain attribution capabilities.

User Research Tools

Typeform/Google Forms: For conducting user surveys and gathering qualitative feedback from your community.

Calendly: For scheduling user interviews and feedback sessions with key community members.

Discord/Telegram Analytics Bots: Tools that track community engagement and sentiment within your project's communication channels.

Data Visualisation Tools

Tableau/Power BI: Traditional business intelligence tools that can visualise Web3 data, though they require significant setup for blockchain data integration.

Custom Dashboard Solutions: Many teams build internal dashboards using tools like Grafana or custom React applications, though this requires significant development resources.

Benefits of Web3 User Journey Mapping

Improved User Experience

Journey mapping reveals friction points that might not be obvious from surface-level metrics. For example, you might discover that users frequently abandon transactions not due to high gas fees, but because your interface doesn't clearly communicate transaction status or expected completion times.

By identifying these pain points, teams can make targeted improvements that significantly impact user satisfaction and retention rates.

Increased Conversion Rates

Understanding the most effective conversion paths enables teams to optimise their onboarding flows and feature presentation. Teams often discover that their assumed "ideal" user journey differs significantly from the paths that actually lead to conversions.

For instance, you might find that users who engage with educational content first have higher long-term retention rates, leading you to restructure your onboarding to emphasise learning resources.

Better Marketing ROI

Web3 projects often struggle to measure the true impact of their marketing efforts because conversions happen onchain, invisible to traditional analytics. Journey mapping with proper attribution enables teams to:

• Identify which marketing channels drive the highest-value users

• Calculate true customer acquisition costs including onchain conversion data

• Optimise marketing spend based on actual user value rather than vanity metrics

Enhanced User Retention

By understanding what keeps users engaged over time, teams can build more effective retention strategies. Journey mapping might reveal that users who participate in governance activities have significantly higher lifetime values, leading to strategies that encourage early governance participation.

Best Practices for Web3 User Journey Mapping

Keep it User-Centric

Always approach journey mapping from the user's perspective, not your internal team's assumptions. What seems intuitive to your development team might be completely confusing to new users encountering Web3 for the first time.

Regular user interviews and community feedback sessions help validate your journey maps against real user experiences.

Use Data to Inform Your Decisions

While qualitative feedback is valuable, quantitative data should drive your optimisation decisions. Look for patterns in large datasets rather than optimising for edge cases or individual user complaints.

A/B test major journey changes to ensure improvements actually impact conversion rates and user satisfaction.

Collaborate Across Teams

Effective journey mapping requires input from product, marketing, engineering, and community teams. Each team brings unique insights:

• Product teams understand intended user flows and feature priorities

• Marketing teams know acquisition channels and campaign performance

• Engineering teams can identify technical constraints and implementation costs

• Community teams provide qualitative user feedback and sentiment analysis

Iterate and Improve

User behaviour evolves as your product matures and the Web3 ecosystem develops. Journey maps should be living documents that get updated as you gather new data and insights.

Set up regular review cycles—monthly or quarterly—to revisit your journey maps and identify new optimisation opportunities.

Case Studies: Web3 User Journey Mapping in Action

Onboarding Improvements

A DeFi lending protocol discovered through journey mapping that 60% of users who connected their wallets never completed their first lending transaction. Path analysis revealed that users were dropping off at the token approval step, not understanding why they needed to approve tokens before lending.

The team redesigned their onboarding flow to include a clear explanation of token approvals with visual guides. This simple change increased their first-transaction conversion rate from 40% to 67%, significantly improving their marketing ROI.

Measuring Conversions by Platform

An NFT marketplace used journey mapping to understand why their mobile traffic had much lower conversion rates than desktop users. Attribution analysis revealed that mobile users frequently abandoned transactions during the wallet connection process, which was optimised only for desktop wallet extensions.

By implementing mobile-friendly wallet connection options and streamlining their mobile interface, they increased mobile conversion rates by 145% and expanded their addressable market significantly.

Improving User Retention

A Web3 gaming project discovered that players who completed their first in-game transaction within 48 hours of registration had 5x higher 30-day retention rates. However, only 25% of new players completed this crucial first transaction.

Journey mapping revealed that players were confused about how to acquire the tokens needed for in-game purchases. The team implemented a streamlined token acquisition flow and saw their first-transaction completion rate increase to 52%, directly improving long-term retention.

Take Control of Your Web3 Growth Journey

Web3 User Journey Mapping transforms anonymous wallet addresses into actionable growth insights. By understanding the complete path from first touchpoint to onchain conversion, teams can eliminate friction points, optimise marketing spend, and build experiences that drive sustainable user engagement.

The complexity of Web3 user behaviour demands sophisticated analytics tools designed specifically for decentralised ecosystems. Traditional Web2 analytics platforms can't capture the full picture when conversions happen onchain and users remain pseudonymous.

Ready to map your users' complete journey? Stop building in the dark and start making data-driven decisions that drive real growth. Sign up for Formo and discover what your users are really doing—from their first click to their final transaction.

Follow Formo on LinkedIn and Twitter, and join our community to learn more onchain growth insights!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Web3 Path Analytics and Funnel Analytics?

Path Analytics discovers the actual routes users take through your dApp, revealing unexpected behaviours and common conversion paths. It's exploratory, showing you what's really happening rather than what you expected.

Funnel Analytics measures conversion rates for specific, predefined user flows. It's more focused, helping you quantify the impact of changes to known conversion paths like onboarding sequences.

How can I track user behaviour if Web3 users are anonymous?

Web3 analytics relies on wallet addresses as user identifiers rather than personal information. Advanced platforms like Formo use wallet intelligence to create rich user profiles based on onchain transaction history, token holdings, and activity patterns—all while maintaining user privacy.

Which onchain and offchain events should I track for my dApp?

Start with fundamental events like wallet connections, transaction initiations, and key feature usage. For offchain tracking, focus on page views, documentation access, and community engagement. The specific events depend on your product, but prioritise actions that correlate with user retention and value creation.

How does Formo ensure user privacy while providing detailed analytics?

Formo uses a privacy-first approach with no third-party cookies, device fingerprinting, or IP address collection. User identification relies solely on wallet addresses, which are already public on the blockchain. This approach provides comprehensive insights while maintaining user anonymity.

Can I use Web3 User Journey Mapping to identify and filter out bots?

Yes, journey mapping combined with wallet intelligence can identify bot behaviour patterns. Bots typically show unusual activity patterns like immediate high-volume transactions, lack of typical user exploration behaviour, or connections from flagged wallet addresses.

How does Wallet Intelligence help in creating user personas?

Wallet Intelligence analyses onchain transaction history to create behavioural segments like "DeFi Power Users" or "NFT Collectors" without requiring personal data collection. Wallet labels and wallet profiling create more accurate personas based on actual behaviour rather than self-reported demographics.

What's the first step to getting started with onchain user analytics?

Begin by implementing comprehensive event tracking that captures both offchain interactions and onchain transactions. Platforms like Formo provide SDKs that automatically capture these events, making implementation straightforward even for teams without dedicated data engineering resources.

How can I measure the ROI of my marketing campaigns onchain?

Use attribution models that connect offchain marketing touchpoints to onchain conversions. This requires tracking users from initial campaign interaction through wallet connection to final transaction completion, providing true ROI calculations based on actual user value rather than just website visits.