Latest case study:
Hemi. Website redesign for a Bitcoin L2 Read →

Most designers start with mockups. I start with a diagnosis.

I show you exactly what's broken and why.
Then I design the fix and ship it.

Dmitry
Chernov
Web & Product Architect AI, SaaS & Web3
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AI can't build your product. It can only execute your thinking. Read →
AI can't build your product. It can only execute your thinking.
Book a free 30-minute call:
I'll share 2–3 observations about your site.
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Workflow
14 years
Web and product design experience
170+
Projects shipped successfuly
7,500+
Design reviews conducted
2M+
Users on a shipped product

Your website has problems.
You just can't see them yet.

Not one big problem, but 40–70 small breaks across messaging, flows, and trust signals. Each one costs you conversions. Together, they cost you a lot.

Example: Aave website
Audit report: Aave
Website Design Audit Report
aave.com 22 39
Breakdown by pillar
✓ 22 strengths ✗ 39 issues
Brand
6 / 9
UX
5 / 12
UI
7 / 10
Conversion
4 / 8
Overview
First impression Strong protocol credibility undermined by fragmented positioning. Homepage tries to serve three products simultaneously, diluting the message for all audiences.
Key pattern Navigation is clean but hides strategic products. Aave Horizon — a $500T institutional opportunity — has zero presence. Newcomers hit wallet-connection walls before seeing any value.
By the numbers 39 issues across four pillars, with the most critical gaps in UX (12 issues) and Conversion (8 issues). Brand has strong visual foundations, and the UI quality is generally high.
Critical findings
!
Identity crisis between three products Homepage simultaneously promotes Aave App, Aave for Web, and Aave for builders. Hero defaults to consumer savings, potentially alienating 70% of crypto-native users.
FixCreate distinct landing experiences per segment with audience-based navigation: "For Savers" (Aave App), "For DeFi" (Aave for Web), "For Builders", "For Institutions".
!
Institutional segment invisible Despite being a strategic pillar for 2026 with $500T addressable market, Aave Horizon has zero presence in navigation or homepage.
FixAdd Aave Horizon to the Products navigation dropdown and create a dedicated /horizon page addressing compliance, permissioned access, and RWA capabilities.
!
Trust signals buried $55B TVL, 61.5% market share, $885M revenue, 5+ years without losses. Yet the homepage buries most behind dynamic counters showing "$0B".
FixFront-load trust signals with exact figures above the fold. Replace dynamic counters with static fallback values to prevent broken social proof.
Key strengths
✓
Strong developer experience /build page with case studies, SDKs, direct contact form — best-in-class B2B path for DeFi.
✓
Polished visual consistency Dark-theme UI is cohesive, modern, and data-rich. Power users find everything they need.
✓
Savings simulator on /app Interactive calculator with bank comparison. Strongest consumer-facing page in all of DeFi.
✓
Comprehensive security section Dedicated section with bug bounty, auditor logos, emergency shutdown controls.
Top recommendations
→
Create distinct landing experiences Implement audience-based navigation: "For Savers", "For DeFi", "For Builders", "For Institutions". Each segment needs its own hero and CTA hierarchy.
→
Add Aave Horizon to the site Create a dedicated /horizon page and add it to Products navigation. Critical gap for 2026 institutional strategy.
→
Front-load trust signals Replace generic language with exact figures: "$55B in deposits", "61.5% market share", "5 years, zero user fund losses".
→
Fix dynamic counter fallbacks "Why choose Aave?" metrics render as "$0B" — add static fallback values to prevent broken social proof.
→
Segment the homepage hero Consider audience selector or rotating hero sections instead of defaulting to Aave App for all visitors.
Detailed analysis
Brand & Narrative
✓ 6 ✗ 9
Positioning Clarity 6/10
Homepage tries to serve three products simultaneously, diluting positioning.
✗ Three products compete for hero position without clear hierarchy
FixEstablish a clear homepage hierarchy with a unifying ecosystem statement, then provide distinct entry points per audience.
✗ No overarching positioning statement unifying the ecosystem
FixCreate a positioning framework: 'Aave is the infrastructure layer for onchain finance' — then branch into consumer, DeFi, Builder, Institutional.
✓ Individual product pages (/app, /build) have strong positioning
Target Audience 5/10
Site acknowledges DeFi users and developers well, but mainstream consumers and institutional investors lack dedicated pathways.
✗ Institutional investors (Aave Horizon) have zero dedicated content
FixAdd an 'Institutions' or 'Horizon' section to the Products navigation and create a dedicated landing page.
✗ No audience segmentation on the homepage
FixCreate distinct content pathways for crypto-native users vs. newcomers on the homepage.
✓ Strong developer path: /build with SDKs and case studies
✓ Good newcomer path: /app with savings simulator
Message Hierarchy 6/10
Clear primary message (Aave App) but supporting messages compete rather than reinforce.
✗ Dynamic counters show '$0B' — likely loading issue breaks social proof
FixAdd static fallback values to the 'Why choose Aave?' metrics so they never render as $0B.
✗ Abrupt topic shift from consumer savings to B2B pitch mid-page
FixRestructure homepage flow: Ecosystem Overview → Audience Paths → Social Proof → Security → CTA.
✓ Partner logos and security section are well-placed
Competitive Differentiation 7/10
Strong implicit differentiation through scale ($55B TVL, 61.5% market share) but no explicit comparison.
✗ No 'why us' comparison page or section
FixAdd a 'Why Aave' section with specific numbers: $55B deposits, 61.5% market share, 5 years zero losses.
✓ Scale metrics are genuinely best-in-class and defensible
✓ 5+ years without user fund losses — unique in DeFi
UX Audit
✓ 5 ✗ 12
Navigation & IA 6/10
Clean top-level nav but Products dropdown hides key pages. No search.
✗ Aave Horizon missing from navigation entirely
FixAdd Horizon to the Products dropdown immediately — this is a quick win with high strategic impact.
✗ No global search — critical for documentation-heavy site
FixImplement site-wide search with Algolia or similar, covering docs, blog, and product pages.
✓ Products dropdown organizes sub-brands logically
User Flows 5/10
Crypto-native users find their way, but newcomers hit dead ends.
✗ Wallet connection required before seeing any product value
FixAdd a demo mode or interactive preview that shows the app interface before requiring wallet connection.
✗ No demo or preview mode for undecided visitors
FixCreate an interactive savings calculator on the homepage that demonstrates value without signup.
✓ Savings simulator on /app is excellent progressive disclosure
Mobile Experience 7/10
Responsive and functional but some data-heavy sections are cramped on small screens.
✗ Statistics section overflows on narrow viewports
FixAdd horizontal scroll or stack metrics vertically on mobile viewports below 480px.
✓ Navigation collapses cleanly to hamburger menu
✓ Touch targets are appropriately sized
UI Audit
✓ 7 ✗ 10
Visual Design 8/10
Polished dark-theme with strong brand consistency.
✓ Cohesive dark theme with consistent component library
✓ Strong use of data visualization in app interface
✗ Some pages mix dark and light themes inconsistently
FixEstablish a clear rule: marketing pages use light theme, app/dashboard uses dark theme. No mixing.
Typography & Hierarchy 7/10
Clean type scale on most pages, but homepage mixes too many sizes.
✓ Consistent heading hierarchy on product pages
✗ Homepage has 6+ font sizes competing for attention
FixReduce to 3-4 font sizes on the homepage: hero, section heading, body, caption.
✗ Some body text lacks sufficient contrast on dark backgrounds
FixIncrease body text opacity from 60% to 80% on dark backgrounds for WCAG AA compliance.
Component Consistency 8/10
Well-built design system with reusable components across pages.
✓ Buttons, cards, and badges are consistent across sections
✓ Form elements follow a unified pattern
✗ CTA button styles vary between /app and main site
FixUnify CTA button styles: same border-radius, padding, and color system across all pages.
Conversion Audit
✓ 4 ✗ 8
CTA Strategy 5/10
Multiple competing CTAs with no clear primary action.
✗ Two primary CTAs compete in the hero section
FixChoose one primary CTA per page. Hero should have one clear action with a secondary option below.
✗ No clear single action for first-time visitors
FixAdd a prominent 'Get Started' flow that adapts based on whether the visitor is a newcomer or crypto-native.
✓ /app page has focused, effective CTA hierarchy
Trust & Social Proof 6/10
Impressive metrics buried or broken.
✗ 'Why choose Aave?' counters render as '$0B'
FixReplace dynamic counters with static values as fallback. Show '$55B+' instead of loading animation.
✗ 5-year safety record buried in small card
FixMove safety track record to a prominent position above the fold. This is Aave's strongest differentiator.
✓ Security section with auditor logos builds confidence
✓ Partner testimonials from MetaMask, Chainlink add credibility
Onboarding & Retention 7/10
Strong for existing users via the app. Weak for acquiring new users.
✗ No email capture or newsletter for nurturing leads
FixAdd an email signup with a value prop like 'Weekly DeFi insights' to capture visitors who aren't ready to connect a wallet.
✓ App onboarding with savings simulator is best-in-class
✓ Developer documentation is comprehensive
Summary Aave has world-class protocol fundamentals and an impressive track record. The primary challenge is organizational: one website trying to serve four distinct audiences with competing narratives. The fix is structural — audience segmentation, not a redesign.
22 strengths
39 issues found
5 recommendations
This week's audit: Aave
Aave website

The audit gives you a prioritized map of every break: what it is, why it costs you conversions, and what to fix first. Without it, every design decision is a guess.

Book a call

Audit first. Then design.
Then ship. Always in this order.

01 Call
Free 30-min call
Your product, audience, and where visitors drop off
Questions most agencies skip
I review your site beforehand. You get 2–3 specific observations.
Outcome: You decide if the audit makes sense.
02 Deep Audit
Brand & messaging: clear positioning or noise?
UX: where visitors get lost and why
UI: what breaks trust on first impression
Conversion: where leads drop before they act
Deliverable: Audit report. 40–70 findings, by impact.
03 Design & Ship
Architecture built on audit findings, not assumptions
Copy, brand identity, and UI design
Working code on your domain
AI-accelerated: days, not months
Deliverable: Live website. No guesswork.

Projects that went from broken to shipped.

Hemi
Hemi
Website redesign for a Bitcoin L2: UX audit, sitemap, wireframes, Framer build. 3 months, team of 8.
Web3 · DeFi · Bitcoin
Audit
UX
Art Direction
Development
View case
Binsr
Binsr
SaaS marketing site redesign: full audit, new IA, UI design for 5 pages, Rails build with custom CMS and CRM. From 10-section Framer brief to complete production infrastructure.
SaaS · PropTech · Home Inspection
Audit
UX
UI Design
Development
View case
Explore all projects AI/ML, SaaS, Web3, Dev Tools
See all work

Every project starts with a diagnosis.

40–60% of audit clients come back for the full build. You'll decide after you see the findings.

Expert Audit
$1,500
2 business days
Book a call
Standalone deliverable. You keep the findings regardless of what happens next.
01
Free 30-min call: what your product does, where the growth is stuck
02
AI-powered audit: 40–70+ findings across 4 pillars
03
ICP analysis + competitive snapshot: who your best customer is and how you stack against 3 key competitors
04
60-min deep dive on findings: what breaks your conversion and what to fix first
05
90-day action plan: prioritized by impact, aligned to your timeline and budget

What clients say.

"
"Hemi rebuilt its digital presence to function as conversion infrastructure for institutional decision-makers. The new website was architected around how institutions actually evaluate Bitcoin infrastructure: audience-specific entry points, evidence-driven content hierarchy, and clear conversion paths from understanding to deployment. The site now functions as active business development infrastructure, supporting capital conversations, partnership evaluations, and institutional onboarding at the scale Hemi's growth demands."
Hemi
2025 Year in Review, Hemi
"
"The design team demonstrated exceptional professionalism, creativity, and reliability in developing the brand and website for osmi.ai. They delivered high-quality work on time and made the entire process enjoyable."
Chris Chuter
Founder, OSMI, OSMI
"
"Dmitry has been an invaluable member of the Gala design team. He has demonstrated exceptional talent, creativity, and dedication to the craft. Dmitry is a truly gifted designer that stands out for his remarkable adaptability, communication efficiency and innovative thinking, consistently delivering designs that are not only visually striking but also effectively embody the project objectives."
Enrico Rolando
Lead UX Designer, GALA Music
"
"The visuals Dmitry made look incredible across the board! The landing page is easily one of the best work I’ve ever seen and really blew me away! Out of all the designers I’ve worked with, quick turnaround and incredible quality like this is rare. Probably in the top 1% I’ve ever worked with. The team has consistently exceeded expectations!"
Padgett Ong
CTO, ZenChain
"
"We've worked with Dmitry as a web and graphic designer. He has fully satisfied our design needs in marketing. He helped us create landing pages, onboarding flows, pitch decks, and advertisements. He has also fully refined our website — fine-tuned typography and visual style, fixed composition problems, redesigned several pages from scratch and rebuilt our website on Webflow with a Client-First methodology. Dmitry is fast and responsive, and he creates a really clean design."
Seb I.
Co-Founder, Inflow
"
"We engaged Dmitry to help plug a UI/UX gap within our product and engineering department. From the wide range of applicants, Dmitry was a clear standout, with his methodical approach but more importantly his ability to clearly communicate and align it with stakeholder requirements. Dmitry's work is of an exceptionally high quality, requested modifications happen at lightning speed and ability to accommodate varying levels of requirements or guidance is a clear sign of his hard-earned experience throughout his career."
Kar Hay Ho
Co-Founder, Massive Rocket

Your website has problems you can't see. I'll find them for you.

Free 30-minute call. No commitment. I'll share 2–3 observations about your site before we discuss anything else.

Book a call
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Dmitry Chernov
Web & Product Architect AI, SaaS & Web3
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