Most Lightning demos prove the payment can clear. The harder product question is whether the user wants to do it again tomorrow.
The repeat loop usually comes from small details:
- fee and timeout messages that do not feel scary
- wallet handoff that preserves context
- amounts small enough to experiment with
- a withdrawal path that is obvious before the deposit
- a reason to come back that is not just "support Lightning"
For builders here: which detail has mattered most in your own Lightning UX? Is repeat use mostly about wallet handoff, clearer settlement feedback, or having a tiny-stakes use case where mistakes are cheap?
A lighting app that interfaces with my LND node and doesn't have an interface that gets in the way (Zues). Or a lighting app that abstracts everything away and makes it dead-simple (CoinOS).
Totally agree with that split. The best Lightning apps either stay out of the way for node runners, or hide the right things for everyone else.
The trap is mixing the two: abstracting custody/routing while still exposing just enough weirdness to create anxiety. For repeat use, I think the "I can leave whenever I want" signal matters a lot: clear balance, clear withdrawal path, and no surprise failure mode after the first payment.