In 2013 Zach and Josh Harvey – brothers and passionate technologists – began their journey to eventually become one the industry leading manufacturers of the nowadays called "cryptomats" worldwide. They realized early on that in order to get millions of people to adopt this new technology, there's one key barrier to overcome: accessibility. People might have heard about Bitcoin from friends or in the news, but didn’t know where or how to acquire Bitcoin. Worse, the technology is complex and the barrier to get started high.

After they validated their proof of concept with a simple prototype, they were ready to take their newly founded company – Lamassu – to the next level. It's at this point, that I got the chance to develop their brand identity and an iconic, new user interface for the world's first Bitcoin ATM.

"It’s a brutally easy way to turn your dollars or yen or just about any other currency into crypto cash."

THE UNIQUE CHALLENGE

How might we make an entirely new technology approachable and help people build trust?

Build trust with people interested in the new currency.

Differentiate the new technology from traditional banking solutions.

The product needed to look and feel dinstinctly different and inviting at a glance. Throughout it was important to keep things simple and intuitive, the voice welcoming and supportive. We picked colors that felt more modern than traditional banks, but we were careful not to make the product feel gimmicky or untrustworthy.  The typeface aimed at making the brand and product feel approachable and friendly, but not overly playful. At the end of the day you should feel comfortable putting your money into the machine.

One way variant (cash to crypto only)

Two way variant (cash to crypto & crypto to cash)

One of the more confusing interactions with the ATM – particularly for first users – turned out to be the scanning process of your wallet address, typically a QR code on your phone or a piece of paper. It essentially replaces your bank card, but people didn't always understand yet how to scan their code. We played with several ways to communicate what users had to do with the use of illustrations as well as guidance on the physical device itself.

Following the initial launch in 2013, we meticulously re-worked Lamassu’s online presence in 2014 – to this date the only way the machines are sold and distributed. The primary focus therefore laid crafting beautiful product pages that accurately represent the quality and effort that goes into manufacturing the machines, that give people a real sense for the physicality of the product and that help convince interested operators of its value.

Renderings by Helge Kiehl.

THE OUTCOME

With hundreds of sold units worldwide Lamassu has become one of the industry and market leading manufacturers of cryptomats.

Over the last 6+ years, this work has helped Lamassu sell hundreds of units worldwide and inspired many other companies to follow into their footsteps. Lamassu is and always has been one of the industry and market leading manufacturers of cryptomats. Today their machines can be found in train stations, convenience stores and shops all over the world, from London all the way to Sydney. The top Lamassu machines handle transactions of more than $300,000 a month.

Best ATM Design

Blockchain Awards, 2014

See CEO Zach Harvey demonstrating an early version of the ATM at CES 2014.