your api sucks! why developers hang up and how to stop that
DESCRIPTION
Part 6 in our series of API Best Practices Webinars - on Developer Adoption- by @landlessness and @earth2marshTRANSCRIPT
Rapid API Workshop
Marsh Gardiner Brian Mulloy @earth2marsh @landlessness
Your API Sucks Why developers hang up and how to stop that.
@earth2marsh @landlessness
Mapping out your API Strategy
PragmaAc REST: API Design Fu
10 PaJerns of Successful API Programs
API Metrics – What to Measure?
API Technology & OperaAons
Today: Your API Sucks!
PCI Compliance and APIs
Rapid API Workshop Webinar Series
• User experience wins • API users = developers • Developer experiences (generally) suck • But they don’t have to…
IN A NUTSHELL THIS TALK
#betterapis!
1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
Why would I use your API?
Hangup Reason #1
Why did you build an API?
1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
Simple things should be simple.
Complex things should be possible.
— Alan Kay
1. People don’t read pages. They scan them.
2. People don’t make optimal choices. They satisfice.
3. People don’t figure out how things work. They muddle through.
Krug says:
You’re making this too hard.
Hangup Reason #2
Time To First Request
TTFR
1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
Are you going to support me?
Hangup Reason #3
1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
Your API is a product.
Treat it that way. Your developers are your customers.
Why is this so hard?
Why does Freemium work?
Do it beIer
POST /InStock HTTP/1.1 Host: www.example.org Content-Type: application/soap+xml; charset=utf-8 Content-Length: 299 <?xml version="1.0"?> <soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope"> <soap:Header> </soap:Header> <soap:Body> <m:GetStockPrice xmlns:m="http://www.example.org/stock"> <m:StockName>IBM</m:StockName> </m:GetStockPrice> </soap:Body> </soap:Envelope>
SOAP
http://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/public_timeline.json
Why REST is winning:
Your engineers may be great at wriAng the code behind your API.
Are they great at designing for API adop<on?
POST !https://api.bluevia.com/services/REST/Advertising_Sandbox/simple/requests?version=v1!
Opacity is inscrutable. (Also, unforgivable.)
Give devs the informa<on they need to succeed.
Good PaIerns
Put yourself in their shoes.
1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
Mapping out your API Strategy
PragmaAc REST: API Design Fu
10 PaJerns in Successful API Programs
Today: API Metrics – What to Measure?
API Technology & OperaAons
Your API Sucks!
Next: PCI Compliance and APIs
Rapid API Workshop Webinar Series
Tired I am. REST I must.
THANKS! Send ques<ons, examples, and ideas to @apigee
Marsh Gardiner Brian Mulloy [email protected] [email protected] @earth2marsh @landlessness