Author：PSE Trading Analyst @Calvin

Imagine the "intent" layer as a large box where everyone's "needs" are thrown in. The "Intent layer" matches these needs with each other, aiming for overall optimization or the shortest path. Once the process is complete, every need is satisfied. This not only simplifies operations but also significantly improves system efficiency and effectiveness.

This is an intuitive explanation of "Intent."

This article will explore the significance of Intent in the ETH landscape, as well as the potential impact it may have in the future.

Mass Adoption — The Core Significance of Intent's Ultimate Implementation

"Mass Adoption," or "Widespread Adoption of ETH," was a major topic of discussion at 2023 ETHCC in Paris. This is not only a sign of ETH's technological maturity entering the next stage, but also a symbol of its growing influence on the future digital society.

Although DeFi is innovative, its complexity and high entry barrier limit its widespread adoption and expansion. Even driven by speculative factors, the number of people genuinely interested in and participating in DeFi is relatively small. This means that if DeFi is made the core of blockchain ecosystem expansion, it will eventually hit a bottleneck.

The future mass adoption is likely not to be realized by directly interacting with DeFi platforms, but rather through more user-friendly interfaces, such as mobile wallets, which act as intermediaries for interacting with DeFi.

"Intent" — the intent layer will significantly reduce the operational barriers for everyone, which is the core significance of why Intent will ultimately be promoted.

It simplifies complex operations and interaction processes on the blockchain, making it more user-friendly. Specifically, it aims to optimize protocols and infrastructure, consolidating multiple steps or operations into a single, intuitive action so that users can more easily achieve their goals.

The Three Definitions of Intent — Defining the Boundaries of Intent

After intuitively understanding Intent, it is necessary to define and delineate its scope:

Focus on "Outcome" Rather Than "Specified Process"

The "Intent" project allows users to clearly express the intent of a transaction or operation through declarations, rather than specifying the exact steps. Such declarations should be clear, explicit, and understandable and executable by the system or service provider.

Execution Delegation

The "Intent" project offers a mechanism that allows users to delegate the execution of their intent to systems, smart contracts, or third-party service providers. Whether automated or manually executed, the process should align with the user's original intent and offer sufficient flexibility and room for optimization under appropriate circumstances.

Results are Verifiable

The "Intent" project should ensure that the results of transactions or operations are verifiable and traceable so that users and relevant parties can clearly understand and verify the execution status of the intent, ensuring that the final outcome aligns with user expectations.

The Intent-centric architecture serves as an intermediary layer between users and DeFi infrastructure, greatly simplifying user experience, lowering the entry barriers, and effectively capturing and executing user intent. This not only helps to expand DeFi's user base but also offers a new direction for the future development of decentralized financial applications.

The Three Layers of 'Intent'

The advent of the term "Intent" has granted us a clearer and more precise lens to articulate and comprehend some abstract notions that were previously elusive.

In the whitepaper of Amoma, abstract descriptions abound, 1inch Fusion faces articulate challenges when trying to express its core principles, and Cowswap appears adrift in defining its own position. However, the term "Intent" has surfaced as a beacon of clarity for these challenges.

Now, when we delve into the design philosophy of Amoma, the trading algorithms of 1inch Fusion, or the trading modalities of Cowswap, we have a unified and precise terminology—“Intent”—to accurately delineate and converse. This terminology not only facilitates a better understanding of each project's core principles but also fosters more precise and effective dialogue during discussions and research.

As the discourse around “Intent” deepens within the community, a silent growth has taken place, unveiling three discernable layers of meaning.

First Layer: Operational Simplification

In the realm of Ethereum, users often confront operations that are intricate and specialized. The emergence of "Intent" is aimed at simplifying these operations, enabling users to articulate their needs more directly without needing to grapple with the complex technical underpinnings. For instance, users merely need to express their desired objectives, and the system autonomously executes the corresponding operations.

Second Layer: On-chain Resource Optimization

Broadening the scope from individuals to the entire network, the essence of "Intent" ascends to the optimization of on-chain resources. Through a competitive mechanism facilitated by intelligent agents or service providers for transaction allocation and execution, it aids Ethereum in harnessing its resources more efficiently. This not only elevates transaction efficiency but also underscores the stable functioning of the entire network.

Third Layer: Lowering Entry Barriers, Catalyzing Mass Adoption

The ultimate objective of "Intent" is to ease the entry into Ethereum for a wider demographic, reducing its accessibility hurdles. By streamlining operations and optimizing resources, it empowers even the technically unversed users to engage with the Ethereum network. This simplification and optimization are laying down the tracks for Ethereum's mass adoption, permitting a broader populace to bask in the benefits of blockchain technology.

In essence, "Intent" begins with the simplification of individual operations, gradually extends to the optimization of network resources, and ultimately aims to lower the entry barriers for Ethereum, propelling it towards broader public engagement. Each layer of "Intent" is dedicated to rendering Ethereum better and more user-friendly.

Rethinking the Future On-Chain Ecosystem in the Context of "Intent"

In the context of "intent," the future on-chain ecosystem is set for further expansion and enrichment. This new paradigm transforms the blockchain ecosystem from merely a cold technological network into a living system that understands and responds to user needs.

Under this innovative framework, users no longer need to choose an entry point; their intentions are precisely identified and directed to the optimal path by applications like AA Wallet. Simultaneously, blockchain protocols start to shift their focus toward product strength. Only those products that can offer the best solutions will gain market recognition and usage. As quality products and protocols increase, the Matthew effect gradually becomes apparent, while protocols that can't meet market demands begin to wane, revealing a strict natural selection.

This intent-centric paradigm also influences the development of blockchain protocols and apps. Developers start to design and optimize their products from the user's perspective to ensure they meet actual needs. For example, new blockchain protocols might focus more on simplifying transaction processes, increasing transaction speed, and reducing costs to attract more users. App developers might also focus more on providing a more humane and user-friendly interface and on automating the realization of user intent through technologies like smart contracts.

With the promotion of the intent-centric paradigm, we also see multiple possibilities in blockchain technology. For example, decentralized finance (DeFi) can offer more personalized financial services by understanding user investment intentions. Supply chain management, identity verification, and many other application fields will also benefit from this new paradigm.

However, the propagation of the "intent" paradigm may also bring about some new challenges. For example, how to accurately identify and understand user intent, how to ensure the privacy and security of user intent, and how to effectively implement user intent through technology are all issues worthy of in-depth research and discussion.

Rethinking the future on-chain ecosystem in the context of "intent" presents us with a more humane, efficient, and orderly blockchain future. In this future, technology is no longer cold code and protocols but intelligent assistants capable of understanding and responding to human needs.

AA Wallet as a Form of Intent

In the larger context of "Intent," AA Wallet is not just a static account management tool; it becomes a transmitter and executor of user intentions. Its existence is not merely to solve a specific technical issue, but to convey users' deeper on-chain needs and desires, offering a more direct and natural way of interacting within the Ethereum world.

Although AA Wallet has already been designated as a "Rights Reversion" project by ETH core developers for the ETH Foundation, its true value was hard to articulate before the advent of "Intent." Despite being mentioned in multiple public speeches by Vitalik Buterin, the understanding remained somewhat nebulous for most.

However, with the emergence of the "Intent" concept, AA Wallet has finally found its kin and a new language for description and understanding. It is no longer an isolated entity but becomes an integral part of the "intent-driven" design philosophy, serving as a crucial bridge between users and the Ethereum world.

The story of AA Wallet is not just a technical one; it's also about understanding, articulating, expanding, and connecting. In this sense, the advent of AA Wallet is not just a significant milestone for the Ethereum ecosystem, signaling that the ecosystem is moving toward maturity and expansion. The infrastructure is mostly in place, welcoming a broad user base and actively embracing innovation and diversity.

It aims not just to attract more users but to fulfill Ethereum's long-term vision of becoming an open, decentralized, and widely used global platform. Each new user's participation is an endorsement and push towards this vision. AA Wallet serves as an important bridge to connect users with Ethereum, offering them a friendly entry point with its simple and direct interaction methods, allowing them to easily explore the rich possibilities of Ethereum.

Conclusion

After delving into the profound implications of "Intent," we get a glimpse of the future direction of blockchain technology and the Ethereum ecosystem. "Intent" is not just a technical concept; it plays a central role in creating a more humane, efficient, and orderly digital future. It heralds a new design philosophy that places real user needs at the center, simplifying operations and optimizing on-chain resources to ultimately achieve mass adoption. Each layer of expansion reveals the maturing footsteps of the Ethereum ecosystem.

In this context, understanding AA Wallet becomes a concrete embodiment and practice of the "Intent" philosophy. It is not just an account management tool; it becomes a transmitter and executor of user intentions, serving as an important bridge connecting users with the Ethereum world.