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

carlo@wip.org

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.

© 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.

How much does it cost to use?

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How do I use it?

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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.

Let the Lawyers Get in the Way

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Make Them Wait

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Ask For TONS of Info

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Make Things “Secure”

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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

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Don’t Respect Their Time

• Nobody wants to learn

by doing.

• Let’s read 100s of

pages instead!

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Don’t Worry About Responding

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Developers Loooooove Forums

• The clunkier the interface, the better!

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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.

INNOVATIONStarts with Developers

Let us Build your Developer EcosystemStrategy, Onboarding, Outreach, Events

Carlo Longino, VP of Developer Program Services

carlo@wip.org

Community: www.wip.org

Agency: www.wipfactory.com

Vancouver, Canada – Austin, USA – Barcelona, Spain