Background
Previously, our company provided APIs to facilitate integrations with key partners, but the process was cumbersome and manual. Integration required email communication and there was minimal documentation, making even the simplest integration a time-consuming task. As we expanded our API capabilities and faced increasing competition, we realized the need for a self-service developer center. This would allow our partners to create integrations with minimal oversight or hand-holding from our company. In response, we embarked on a UX redesign project to create a seamless, user-friendly experience for our partners, streamlining the integration process and reducing barriers to entry.My Role and Responsibilities
As the lead UX designer on the project, my responsibilities included working with a senior user researcher to develop interview scripts and test plans; performing interviews; working with project managers, engineering leads, and other stakeholders; and leading a small team to design new workflows and screens for the new application.Research and Analysis
User Interviews:
I led generative interviews with API consumers to understand their needs and challenges. These interviews provided understanding of typical API center experiences from a developer perspective. Through these interviews, we were able to identify a number of critical feature workflows that were needed for the application that helped product managers plan and prioritize the project. These interviews were transcribed and tagged in Dovetail.
Usability Studies:
I worked with our senior UX researcher to facilitate both moderated and unmoderated sessions to directly observe areas where users encountered difficulties with an early prototype. During these sessions, we uncovered several tasks that caused confusion for users. These sessions were recorded and analyzed to illustrate areas of concern to stakeholders.
Competitive Analysis:
To identify key features needed in an API developer center, we conducted a thorough comparison of both the features and interfaces various developer centers across industries.
Journey Map:
I took charge of developing new journey maps based on user interviews and a comprehensive understanding of the product concept. The purpose of this effort was to ensure that no task was viewed in isolation, but rather as part of a larger journey spanning from the initial setup stage through repeated use and final output.
Information Architecture:
I worked with our Content Design team, the Solution Architect, and Product Managers for this project to create an information architecture that would not contradict a user's mental model when encoutering our system.
Outcomes and Results
Based on our research and analysis, we were able to make a number of suggestions to the product offering, and designed features to create a comprehensive experience for our users:
New interface design for customers:
We designed a new user interface design that both reflected the specifics of our product offerings, but also reflected the standard of existing API centers to ensure users would not have to re-learn any mental models and make it easier for users to navigate.
Simplified app creation process:
We utilized usability testing feedback to redesign the application creation process to make it more intuitive and streamlined. We reduced cognitive complexity by creating a progress stepper and provided clearer instructions.
Designed admin monitoring tools:
Based on user interviews, competitive research, and stakeholder needs, we designed a set of monitoring tools so that our support team could closely monitor and manage integrations and API usage as an internal tool.