Stellar Soroban Experiment: All Employees Write, Deploy, and Invoke Smart Contracts – What Does This Mean for The XLM Network?

• Stellar organized a dogfooding Soraban experiment involving coding and non-coding staffs.
• The experiment ultimately helped enhance the UI and UX of the Soraban smart contract network.

In February, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) conducted a dogfooding experiment that permitted all employees to write, deploy, and invoke smart contracts on Soroban.

How the Stellar Soroban Experiment Performed

As noted in a blog post released by Stellar developers, central to the Stellar Soroban experiment was Okashi, the web-based platform for smart contracts developed specifically for the recently introduced Soroban protocol.

To make the process entertaining, SDF and Okashi created “The Okashi Cakewalk,” a game that walks players through creating and implementing smart contracts. The objective was to create a mental model for smart contracts that anyone could use, regardless of experience level.

However, it is worth noting that dogfooding, a method companies use for product trials, is difficult to incentivize. It demands employees to put themselves in the user’s shoes, which can be difficult, particularly for those involved in the product’s development. 

Additionally, employees unfamiliar with coding or smart contract principles may face a high learning curve. However, the advantages of dogfooding, especially for a technology like Stellar Soroban, are enormous.

The Okashi Cakewalk was created as a fun and informative experience, challenging participants to create NFT artwork using only ASCII characters arranged in a 5×5 grid. In just one month, staff members completed the Cakewalk guide, competing across departments and motivating one another to reach a 100% participation target.

Notably, the results of the Soroban experiment were impressive as over 170 Cakewalk NFTs were created on Futurenet. Every non-technical SDF employee gained a better grasp of the smart contract lifecycle and mental model. 

On the other hand, experienced Soroban programmers gained hands-on experience using a user-friendly interface for the platform they helped create. Furthermore, participants contributed vital comments to the Okashi team, which helped to improve the UI and UX.

What Does The Soroban Experiment Mean for The XLM Network?

As SDF employees become increasingly familiar with the Stellar Soroban smart contract, it is expected that the Stellar ecosystem will see a surge in innovation and the production of new Decentralized Applications (DApps) that will take advantage of the XLM network’s unique features. 

As previously reported by Crypto News Flash, Soroban’s smart contract integration will make it easier to run increasingly complex financial products and services on the Stellar network. For the XLM, increased use of smart contracts and DApps on the Stellar network may enhance demand for the cryptocurrency. 

As of the time of writing, XLM is trading at $0.1387, up 2.9% in the past day. Furthermore, the market capitalization has risen by 2.9% to $3.9 billion, with trading volume up by 60% to $126 million.

In recapitulation of Crypto News Flash’s earlier news, EGRAG, a famous crypto analyst, is optimistic about XLM and predicts a climb to $5 due to its expanding potential.