The failure of crypto communities to shunt their coins from the speculative-currency phase to the ‘transactional-volume’ phase has been a tragedy
To be fair, it's because crypto in general is:
1. Almost impossible to understand and use for anyone that isn't a techie;
2. Accepted basically nowhere without cumbersome third party intervention;
3. Too volatile to be used as a store of value;
4. Uninsured against theft or loss;
5. Not sufficiently superior to established systems at anything other than a) instantaneous international transfer (not useful in 99.9% of transactions to everyday folk), b) low-fee transfer of huge volumes of wealth (not useful to 99.9% of everyday folk; also see point 3 above).
Right now crypto is a very poorly implemented solution looking for a problem to solve for everyday people. Until that happens (if ever) it will remain a niche speculative interest.
Very well put together list, in general, the crypto community is well represented by the factors you described. I believe your awareness of the challenges you listed is also the reason why you chose to invest in DNotes. The team has worked on, and continues to work on projects that improve (this) crypto's reputation in breaking through all the limitations and current industry inadequacies you have mentioned.
I do agree that right now the easiest way to drum up (short-term) interest would be to encourage wide trading ranges and lots of extra liquidity, but I think that would be counter-productive to DNotes longer-term mission to be an acceptable stable store of wealth, and transfer of value. It is going to take a few years. DNotes will outgrow the competition, and the industry as a whole will also continue to grow. Until that time, crypto will be mostly a niche speculative tool. It's my thinking that the team released the currency a year ago to get the track record of stability in place before big infrastructural components for transactional services were developed - their goal the entire time.
A quick analysis of how this industry has worked so far with innovative, excessively promoted coins would yield that it made no sense to release the currency with fully developed applications at once while claiming that you were the most stable crypto in the industry - nobody would believe you without a reference chart to point at. Whales at the exchanges might have had their way, drawing speculative value from the flash websites, completed applications combined with the teams claims. Traders trick buyers into thinking that price rises are in accordance with the currency's true value, before selling up and crashing the currency like clockwork.
This way, with a slow but agile development process, DNotes has been able to 'fly under the radar' without drumming up unwanted pre-mature excitement. This protected it's value in the nascent stages, ensuring price stability. That execution meant that DNotes now has a very stable one year chart to show potential partners who may invest in, develop for, or provide services to DNotes' future requirements. That said, it's a free-market, and sooner or later that liquidity is going to be tested in line with the development teams achievements and formed relationships.
The next couple years will be very exciting for the industry. When the buzzword is "trust", it pays to take your time and get it right, lest you lose it.