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BlockTask

A Blockchain-Based Freelance Platform

Overview

  • Timeline: 2022 – 2023
  • Role: Co-Founder & Product Designer
  • Team: 3 founders + 2 developers (Frontend & Backend)
  • Type: Startup / Product Design
  • Goal: Connect top freelancers in Iran & Asia with Western clients through a secure blockchain-powered platform.

Problem

Freelancers in Iran and neighboring regions faced two major issues:

  1. Difficulty accessing international clients due to regional and payment limitations.
  2. Unfair and low project payments.

On the other hand, Western clients struggled to find trustworthy, skilled freelancers at reasonable rates.

Solution

We aimed to build BlockTask, a two-sided platform that:

  • Helps vetted freelancers connect with Western employers.
  • Uses blockchain-based **smart contracts** to ensure secure payments and transparent project management.
  • Supports fair pricing and milestone-based payments for better trust and accountability.

My Role & Contributions

As Product Designer & Co-Founder, I led both the strategic and design sides of the product:

  • Brainstormed and validated every UX decision with the founding team.
  • Translated the initial idea into flows and product architecture for both sides (clients and freelancers).
  • Designed complete user journeys: posting jobs, pricing logic, ask & bid process, project tracking, and milestone payments.
  • Collaborated closely with developers on implementation using Tailwind CSS and a lightweight design system to launch MVP fast.
  • Developed the structure for smart contract payments, quality control, and communication flows.
  • Brainstormed and validated every UX decision with the founding team.

Research & Strategy

  • Conducted market, user, and competitor research (analyzing over 20 direct and indirect competitors).
  • Interviewed dozens of Iranian freelancers via calls, forms, and in-person discussions to build accurate personas.
  • Defined both freelancer and client personas and their pain points.
  • Worked on business strategy, market size estimation, pricing, and marketing strategy.

Design Process

  1. User Research & Personas
  2. User Flows & Information Architecture
  3. Wireframes & Low-fidelity Sketches
  4. UI Design & Prototyping (Web & Mobile)
  5. Testing & Iteration
  6. Design System & Final MVP Delivery

Outcome

  • Platform launched successfully and gained its first real users.
  • Designed a mini design system for scalability.
  • Managed to secure a $90,000 annual contract, which unfortunately couldn’t be finalized due to legal sanctions.
  • Despite the startup’s failure (due to financial and geopolitical challenges), it became a huge learning experience for me in end-to-end product design, UX strategy, and startup operations.

Key Learnings

  • How constraints (like sanctions) can shape innovative UX and payment models.
  • How to balance business strategy with user experience.
  • Importance of fast MVP delivery in early-stage startups.
  • How to communicate design intent effectively with non-design stakeholders and developers.