As I understand it, Steemit relies on constant growth to pay its community. For growth new users need to sign up on the platform. But the Steemit onboarding process is really clumsy. I waited for a long time on the "waitlist" but did not receive any email. I decided to just pay the fee needed to get on immediately.
This onboarding process is way more complicated for new users than that of traditional platforms (Facebook, Twitter). I think many potential users are put off by it. Either put a set price for sign up and make it prominent so the user knows that he/she has to pay a bit to sign up, or remove it altogether. Be sincere and put the cost upfront.
Now that the crypto market has finally fallen from the unsustainable bubble of 2017, many people who got burned in the process need extra assurance that they're joining a safe community. Good design should help solve this.
Also, new users are skeptical of blockchain/crypto related stuff. Make it easier for them to try it out.
Thanks for reading!