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
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Rapid API Workshop
Marsh Gardiner Brian Mulloy @earth2marsh @landlessness
Your API Sucks Why developers hang up and how to stop that.
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@earth2marsh @landlessness
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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
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• User experience wins • API users = developers • Developer experiences (generally) suck • But they don’t have to…
IN A NUTSHELL THIS TALK
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#betterapis!
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1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
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Why would I use your API?
Hangup Reason #1
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Why did you build an API?
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1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
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Simple things should be simple.
Complex things should be possible.
— Alan Kay
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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:
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You’re making this too hard.
Hangup Reason #2
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Time To First Request
TTFR
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1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
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Are you going to support me?
Hangup Reason #3
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1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
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Your API is a product.
Treat it that way. Your developers are your customers.
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Why is this so hard?
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Why does Freemium work?
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Do it beIer
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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
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http://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/public_timeline.json
Why REST is winning:
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Your engineers may be great at wriAng the code behind your API.
Are they great at designing for API adop<on?
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POST !https://api.bluevia.com/services/REST/Advertising_Sandbox/simple/requests?version=v1!
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Opacity is inscrutable. (Also, unforgivable.)
Give devs the informa<on they need to succeed.
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Good PaIerns
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Put yourself in their shoes.
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1. Give developers every reason to build
2. Make them successful faster
3. Don't violate their trust
4. Listen
Four simple rules
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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
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Tired I am. REST I must.
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THANKS! Send ques<ons, examples, and ideas to @apigee
Marsh Gardiner Brian Mulloy [email protected] [email protected] @earth2marsh @landlessness