how to ensure developers never ever use your api: a study of worst practices

HOW TO MAKE SURE DEVELOPERS NEVER, EVER USE YOUR API A STUDY IN WORST PRACTICES

Carlo Longino VP Developer Program Services [email protected]

April 17, 2015

Tech Evangelist Meetup

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.

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

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!

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.


What does this API/product do? •  Don’t provide

context •  Don’t explain

things •  Force big

downloads with unclear outcomes


How much does it cost to use?


How do I use it?



Make it as slow as you can for them to

get started.


Let the Lawyers Get in the Way


Make Them Wait


Ask For TONS of Info


Make Things “Secure”


Have A Painful Installation Process

•  Crypto is GREAT! •  Complex required

folder structures are AWESOME!

•  Lots of big downloads RULE!



Don’t bother with support and

communication.


Documentation Is Overrated

•  Use PDFs and other non-searchable formats (shout out to Word .docs!)

•  Hide everything behind a login


Don’t Respect Their Time

•  Nobody wants to learn by doing.

•  Let’s read 100s of pages instead!


Don’t Worry About Responding


Developers Loooooove Forums

•  The clunkier the interface, the better!


Don’t Go Where They Go

•  Any committed developer won’t just stick to the forums they know and love.

•  Right?



INNOVATION Starts with Developers

Let us Build your Developer Ecosystem Strategy, Onboarding, Outreach, Events

Carlo Longino, VP of Developer Program Services

[email protected] Community: www.wip.org

Agency: www.wipfactory.com

Vancouver, Canada – Austin, USA – Barcelona, Spain

how to ensure developers never ever use your api: a study of worst practices

Technology

context dont

dont worry

sure developers

developer programs

developers loooooove

overrated use pdfs

developer ecosystem

committed developer