Agoric (BLD) Makes Web3 Usable and Developer-Friendly, Here's How

Web3 is built on the idea of a decentralized, user-owned web, yet its poor user experience (UX) is a major setback to mass adoption. Wallets are difficult to manage, cross-chain transactions are complicated and there is little consistency between decentralized apps (dApps).

Web3 UX faces dangerous bottlenecks right now

Using Web3 today feels like a chore. While blockchain technology in itself is innovative, the user interfaces and workflows leave much to be desired. To start with, setting up and managing wallets can be overwhelming, even for tech-savvy users. 

Remembering seed phrases, switching networks and signing transactions are far from intuitive. Besides that, you have the cross-chain complexity. Interacting with assets and dApps across different blockchains involves multiple steps and tools, creating confusion and friction. 

This situation is like the early Web2 days, when awkward interfaces and technical issues kept the internet from reaching its potential. However, just as Web2 evolved into the flawless experience we enjoy today, Web3 has the potential to achieve that as well, provided that the right solutions are implemented.

To fix Web3 UX, we need to address its biggest pain points:

• Complexity: Simple actions, like transferring assets, involve too many steps. This discourages casual users from engaging with Web3.
• Latency: Slow transaction speeds, especially for cross-chain activities, frustrate users and create inefficiencies.
• Fragmentation: Each blockchain and dApp operates in its own silo, making interoperability and user flow disjointed.

These issues are not just inconvenient, they are barriers to entry. For Web3 to succeed, its UX needs to be as intuitive as today’s Web2 apps.

Potential solutions for key issues of Web3 UX

One effective approach to improving Web3 UX is orchestration, a way to simplify fragmented experiences. By enabling flawless interactions across blockchains and dApps, orchestration can reduce complexity for both developers and users.

Orchestration tools take away the complexity of working across multiple chains, making it feel like a single, unified system. Instead of users manually bridging assets or switching networks, orchestration enables these processes to happen in the background, enhancing the overall user experience.

It also supports long-lived workflows. Features like timers and asynchronous processes ensure that even complex transactions happen smoothly over multiple blocks.

One example that comes to mind is Agoric’s Orchestration API, a tool designed to address these challenges head-on.

Agoric, a blockchain platform that prioritizes security and developer usability, offers this API to enable smooth interoperability and simplified workflows. Its features include:

• Timers and multi-block support: Ensures that even time-sensitive processes run efficiently without requiring constant user interaction. This is crucial for applications where transactions need to span several blocks, such as auctions or multi-step trades.
• IBC-native interoperability: Built to work seamlessly with the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol, making cross-chain interactions straightforward. This allows developers to easily integrate their dApps with the broader Cosmos ecosystem and beyond.

Agoric’s ecosystem, powered by its native token BLD, helps developers create secure, scalable dApps without reinventing the wheel. The platform’s use of JavaScript, a widely adopted programming language, lowers the barriers to entry for developers, making it easier to onboard talent and expand the ecosystem.

While Agoric is just one example, it shows how orchestration tools can make Web3 more user-friendly. By focusing on simplicity, interoperability and long-term workflows, orchestration has the potential to redefine how users interact with decentralized technologies. It is helping to change the narrative from "blockchains as silos" to a vision of a seamless, interconnected Web3 ecosystem.

Web3 has the potential to transform the internet as we know it, but poor UX is holding it back. By addressing complexity, latency and fragmentation through solutions like orchestration, the industry can break down these barriers and get ready for mass adoption. Agoric’s Orchestration API and similar tools offer a glimpse into what’s possible, but they are just the beginning.