How to Ensure Developers Never Ever Use Your API: A Study of Worst Practices
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This document outlines poor practices that API providers can employ to discourage developers from using their APIs. It discusses making onboarding difficult by providing little context about the API's purpose, not explaining how to use it, requiring lengthy downloads and legal agreements, and offering little to no documentation or support. The goal is to highlight actions that introduce obstacles, slow down the onboarding process, and make the developer experience frustrating in order to reduce engagement and usage of the API. The document is intended to advise API providers on what not to do if they want developers to adopt and utilize their APIs.
How to Ensure Developers Never Ever Use Your API: A Study of Worst Practices
- 1. HOW TO MAKE SURE DEVELOPERS NEVER, EVER USE YOUR API A STUDY IN WORST PRACTICES Carlo Longino VP Developer Program Services carlo@wip.org April 17, 2015 Tech Evangelist Meetup
- 2. About WIP Factory • The first B2D marketing agency • Strategic consulting and outreach services • API providers, platform vendors, device makers, developer programs of all stripes © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 3. © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 4. Onboarding • The process of getting a developer to use your product or service • Post-awareness, exploration, getting started, learning, going live, using your stuff • Ask a dev: “Sounds like waterboarding” – Because too often, it is
- 5. Why is it so important? • It’s crucial to minimize the hurdles/obstacles/ friction between getting started and going live • This is where you will lose the most developers from your program • It’s also something you have a lot of control over!
- 6. If you don’t want developers to use your API…. Weed out the ones who aren’t that interested by making them work really, really hard. © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 7. What does this API/product do? • Don’t provide context • Don’t explain things • Force big downloads with unclear outcomes © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 8. How much does it cost to use? © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 9. How do I use it? © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 10. If you don’t want developers to use your API…. Make it as slow as you can for them to get started. © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 11. Let the Lawyers Get in the Way © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 12. Make Them Wait © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 13. Ask For TONS of Info © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 14. Make Things “Secure” © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 15. Have A Painful Installation Process • Crypto is GREAT! • Complex required folder structures are AWESOME! • Lots of big downloads RULE! © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 16. If you don’t want developers to use your API…. Don’t bother with support and communication. © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 17. Documentation Is Overrated • Use PDFs and other non-searchable formats (shout out to Word .docs!) • Hide everything behind a login © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 18. Don’t Respect Their Time • Nobody wants to learn by doing. • Let’s read 100s of pages instead! © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 19. Don’t Worry About Responding © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 20. Developers Loooooove Forums • The clunkier the interface, the better! © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 21. Don’t Go Where They Go • Any committed developer won’t just stick to the forums they know and love. • Right? © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
- 22. © Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc. INNOVATION Starts with Developers Let us Build your Developer Ecosystem Strategy, Onboarding, Outreach, Events Carlo Longino, VP of Developer Program Services carlo@wip.org Community: www.wip.org Agency: www.wipfactory.com Vancouver, Canada – Austin, USA – Barcelona, Spain