[Case 03]
Anima - Designing a reputation-to-token economy
Crypto
Turning a one-shot verification product into a returning ecosystem
[Project Overview]
Anima was a Web3 dApp built around Proof of Personhood a cryptographic proof that a user is a unique human, minted as a Soulbound NFT. Initially a pure verification product, it evolved into a gamified ecosystem of quests across partner protocols. This case study focuses on its unified economy: quests generate reputation, converted to tokens through Bid-to-Earn weekly auctions, with staking closing the loop.
[Problem Statement]
Users completed their POP once and left. The Discord community of 1,200 was engaged, but the product itself was a one-shot transaction. Web3 competitors Galxe, Layer3, RabbitHole, Zealy were building quest platforms with growing user bases. Anima needed to become something users returned to weekly, not visited once.
[Industry]
Crypto
[My Role]
Product Designer
[Platforms]
Web · Desktop dApp
[Timeline]
2024–2025 · 9-month design and ship cycle
View Live Project
[How we found it]
Two personas, one ecosystem
Web3 power users + curious crypto newcomers
"Discord users wanted more than verifying themselves once they wanted progression, rewards, and a reason to come back every week."
Discord questionnaires 1200 members
1:1 interviews
Benchmark
Two personas validated
[The deeper problem]
POP was a one-shot transaction users verified once and left.
No mechanism tied the POP to recurring usage beyond renewal.
Time-on-app collapsed once the POP was minted.
[Constraints]
9-month deadline full from-scratch design of the dApp.
Dedicated branch of the Synaps design system for Anima.
Poor mobile optimization that slows her down.
[Process]
Start with ephemeral quests and a leaderboard
Initial direction: timed quests competing on a leaderboard.
Rejected competition without payout was decoration, not retention.
Engagement without rewards doesn't survive past the first session.
Introduce Anima Reputation as on-chain progression
Each completed quest credits REP tied to the user's wallet.
REP feeds a 100-level Soulbound NFT visually evolving with progression.
Quest categories named after the storytelling Defender, Resistance, Uprising.
Launch Bid-to-Earn to convert reputation into tokens
REP is spent in weekly auctions to bid on Anima tokens.
Outcome uncertainty creates an event users return for each week.
Limits token dilution while keeping the loop emotionally engaging.
Close the loop with staking and partner quests
Won tokens flow into a staking interface direct financial outcome.
7 partner protocols plugged their own quests into the same economy.
Referral mechanics extend the loop community as a distribution channel.
[Outcome]
20K Quests completed across Anima onboarding, partner protocols, and timed events.
10K users across the dApp at peak recruited through the community and partner protocols.
7 Partners protocols integrated their own quests and tokens into Anima's economy.
[Key Learnings]
Web3 gamification needs real stakes
Symbolic points and leaderboards aren't enough. The loop has to close with something tokens, identity, status users can actually use.
Decouple progression from monetization
Two parallel jauges REP for quests, Level for POP gave us flexibility a single number couldn't have offered.
Ship the loop in phases, not all at once
Releasing the full economy in one drop made it hard to validate which parts drove behavior. Next time: quests first, Bid-to-Earn second, staking third.
