> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://matheus-draau.gitbook.io/solana-onboarding-kit/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://matheus-draau.gitbook.io/solana-onboarding-kit/recurring-patterns.md).

# 4. Recurring patterns

Cross-referencing the 13 evaluations, **four gaps repeat across almost every protocol**, and it is the recurrence, not the isolated severity, that makes them natural candidates for design patterns.

## 4.1 The seed phrase with no mental model

*The most cross-cutting gap.*

The most widespread problem in the sample. The recovery phrase is presented as a central concept, often at the moment of maximum consequence, **without any analogy, context, or bridge to the user's prior custodial experience**. They hear "if you lose it, no one can recover it" without that being translated into their mental model.

**Where it shows up:** Phantom, Solflare, Trust Wallet, Ledger; and, in milder variations, in Exodus and Tangem.

## 4.2 The missing post-onboarding: the drop into the empty screen

Repeatedly, the flow ends abruptly: once setup is complete, the user is **abandoned in an empty wallet or a dense interface, with no tour, checklist, or indication of next steps**. Onboarding delivers the user but does not guide them on what to do next.

**Where it shows up:** Phantom, OKX, Backpack, and even the benchmark Tangem.

## 4.3 The help that exists but lives outside the flow

Almost every app has documentation, often good (24/7 live chat, structured docs). The problem is one of **location, not existence**: the help is in another tab, on another site, never on the screen at the moment the question arises. At the critical moments (safeguarding the seed, configuring security, a failed transaction) the user is alone.

**Where it shows up:** an almost universal pattern in the sample.

## 4.4 Web3 jargon with no inline glossary

"Swap", "Perps", "DCA", "slippage", "priority fee", "MEV protection", "blind signing", "LTV", "liquidation": crypto-native terminology presented **without translation or explanation at the point of use**, assuming an expert.

**Where it shows up:** strong in Jupiter, OKX, Meteora, DEX Screener, Kamino.

{% hint style="danger" %}
**The fifth pattern: errors that diagnose but do not teach.** Messages like "Swap failed", "document not accepted", or a silently disabled "continue" button signal the problem but do not say how to fix it. This was flagged, in more than one analysis, as **the main vector of permanent abandonment**.
{% endhint %}

***

➡️ Continue to [**5. Where risk becomes a block**](/solana-onboarding-kit/critical-issues.md).


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