How to Make Sure Developers Never Use Your API

HOW TO MAKE SURE DEVELOPERS NEVER,

EVER USE YOUR API

A STUDY IN WORST PRACTICES

Carlo Longino

VP Developer Program Services

[email protected]

February 10, 2015

Developer Evangelist Summit

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.

© 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?



your API….

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!



your API….

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?



INNOVATIONStarts with Developers

Let us Build your Developer EcosystemStrategy, 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

http://www.wipfactory.com/

http://www.wipfactory.com/

Technology

How to Make Sure Developers Never Use Your API