How technical writer Owanate Amarachee is making Web3 accessible to everyone

Owanate Amarachee describes herself as a naturally curious techie, always seeking innovative solutions to problems. As a seasoned leader in Africa’s Web3 industry, she has dedicated herself to making Web3 knowledge accessible to anyone interested. Owanate’s passion and commitment are evident in her role as a Senior Technical Writer at RootstockLabs. This leading blockchain company empowers businesses and developers with the funding and technology to advance decentralised technology and make Bitcoin accessible to all. RootstockLabs boasts a thriving ecosystem of over 10,000 developers.

At RootstockLabs, Owanate is at the forefront of developer experience and content strategy, overseeing the creation, maintenance, and delivery of high-quality documentation, guides, tutorials, videos, and courses. Her vision is to see a world where Web3 is accessible to everyone, fostering a future where decentralised technology empowers everyone, and she is actively working to make this a reality. In a recent conversation with Owanate, we discussed her journey, the African tech industry, financial technology, and how Web3 is shaping the future.

Q: Owanate, you’ve been working in the Web3 industry. What inspired you to take this path?

A: Passion, I would say. It wasn’t an easy journey with few learning resources available for beginners at the time, but determination and perseverance have helped me get this far.  To get started in Web3, I researched a lot and eventually enrolled for a full stack web developer boot camp at the LevelUp Academy, where I learnt the basics of the web, react, javascript, node.js, etc. I then joined the 500NGDevs4Eth by Web3Bridge in late 2019, where I learned about Solidity and Smart contracts. These helped me to put together the missing pieces and understand web3 technology. Since then, I have continuously learned and grown in the space.

Q: What role do you believe technical writers play in shaping the adoption and understanding of Web3 technologies?

A: Technical writers play a significant role in shaping the adoption and understanding of Web3. The Web3 space is constantly evolving and plagued with complexity, so the ability to break down complex concepts into understandable bits is of great importance to a writer. From creating educational content to writing tutorials and guides, technical writers build trust and enable Web3 adoption and activation. 

Q: You are a senior technical writer at RootstockLabs, a global company, what is your approach to creating accessible content for developers and non-technical audiences alike?

A: As a Senior Technical Writer at RootstockLabs, I would say my approach to creating accessible content comes from a deep understanding of the Rootstock platform, ecosystem and its users. Without this knowledge, tailoring content for different audiences would be quite a hassle. Applying the principles of Technical Communication and also armed with a deep understanding of my audience, I’m able to craft compelling narratives and documents that onboard thousands of developers and users to RootstockLabs.

Q: Could you share how your work as a Senior Technical Writer is helping to make Web3 more accessible?

A: As a Senior Technical Writer in the developer experience team at RootstockLabs and a core contributor to the Rootstock platform, my primary area is maintaining the Rootstock Developer Portal with clear and up-to-date resources and guides for developers and general users of the Rootstock platform. I collaborate with developers and writers to create evergreen content, maintain the developer portal and advocate for developers internally. 

Q: What would you say is the most challenging project you’ve worked on and how you overcame any obstacles?

A: Recently, I had the privilege of leading a significant project to redesign and rebuild the Rootstock Developer Portal from scratch; this project lasted for 8 months and involved key stakeholders, developers, and external parties. This came with a lot of challenges as well as innovation. As with every project comes the challenge of managing multiple stakeholders, meeting timelines and ensuring efficient delivery; this project could only go one way and is thriving. Key achievements include improved information architecture and navigation, refreshed content and up-to-date resources, platform migration and introduction of new features and tools to improve the developer experience and onboarding to the Rootstock platform. This upgrade has significantly improved the navigation by 100% and will lead to more innovation and onboarding of developers and users to the platform.

Q: How do you see Web3 evolving in the next 5-10 years, and what role will technical writers play in this evolution?

A: I’m keen to see Web3 move from technology-oriented to user-oriented. This means regular users and developers adopting Web3 and decentralised technology like an everyday application they’re used to. To onboard the next billion users involves thinking like the next billion users.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned throughout your career, and how has it shaped your approach to technical writing and leadership?

A: Do not skip any opportunity to learn or collaborate. Personal growth and development is up to you. No one will watch out for your growth and advocate for you other than yourself. So do all it takes to be at the top of your game and in tune with emerging trends so you’re not left out. Web3 is ever-evolving, take that course, speak at events, and share your work as often as possible, no one will do that for you. This mindset is what has kept me going in my career. I do not pass an opportunity to learn or collaborate, I have learnt how to manage a product, do user research, lead a team, manage stakeholders, edit and record videos, speak at events, create go-to-market strategies and lots more, this makes me a well rounded technical writer who is not just a writer but can also contribute meaningfully to product development and wear any hat as the need arises. 

Q: What trends or innovations in technical writing and Web3 excite you the most, and why?

A: I’m rooting for products and decentralised applications that incorporate UX methodologies from the get-go, dApps that can abstract all the complexities of web3 without the user needing to interact directly with the base technology. I think that’s the real game-changer.

See also: Overcoming cross-border payment hurdles: how Web3 is transforming payments

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