Date post: | 29-Jul-2015 |
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Technology |
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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.
© Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
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.
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.
Have A Painful Installation Process
• Crypto is GREAT! • Complex required
folder structures are AWESOME!
• Lots of big downloads RULE!
© Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
If you don’t want developers to use your API….
Don’t bother with support and
communication.
© Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
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.
Don’t Respect Their Time
• Nobody wants to learn by doing.
• Let’s read 100s of pages instead!
© Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
Developers Loooooove Forums
• The clunkier the interface, the better!
© Wireless Industry Partnership Connector Inc.
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.
© 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
[email protected] Community: www.wip.org
Agency: www.wipfactory.com
Vancouver, Canada – Austin, USA – Barcelona, Spain