The Promises of Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Technology for Architecture and Interaction Design

Blockchain technology is gaining prominence after its first famous implementation as part of the digital currency Bitcoin. It is made up of a series of blocks (the ledger) that give a secure, unchangeable, and auditable list of records. Once a block is recorded using encryption and a distributed database, it cannot be modified. The ledger in the case of Bitcoin stores the history of all monetary transactions. In three sections, this paper provides a review of blockchain technology for an interface design audience: (1) The fundamentals that enable block-chain technology are briefly discussed. (2) Specific examples include the use of HCI in blockchain research and development. (3) In the form of a fledgling research agenda, opportunities and difficulties for HCI and interface design are presented.