Kathrine Osadchenko emphasizes the importance of designing user-friendly APIs and documentation, focusing on the developer experience rather than just technical details. She highlights the need to consider user perspectives, clarify search processes, and balance complexity with usability in API design. Additionally, she mentions the significance of internal versus external documentation and encourages feedback to improve API documentation and support.

1. Kathrine Osadchenko
Technical Writer, Wix
kate.osadchenko@gmail.com
LinkedIn/Kathrine Osadchenko
Test developer experience,
not code

2. What I do as a Tech Writer
Medieval
times…
Internal docs,
release notes
Dev Portal, Dev Guides,
eComm platform APIs
Financial services
and payments APIs

3. What do we know about API
usability?
01

4. We know that APIs are complex.
Can we design developer experience?
● Does this make sense to someone who uses the API for the first time?
● What is the first crucial thing people are looking for and HOW do they search it?
● Is there context or too much context?
● It’s not just about internal logic and how things operate on your side when you
decide on the API structure and documentation layout.
It’s about that other person’s perspective and compatibility on their side of
integration.

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6. Complexity by itself is neither good
nor bad: it is confusion that is bad.
How do we balance complexity and
simplicity in API design?

7. Ask questions about how
developers look for answers
02

8. Everything starts with a search
How do you ask the right question?

9. What makes API and supporting docs more usable
▪ Who is your API consumer: their work environment/set up
▪ Way of working and habits
▪ Points of entry and use cases
▪ Interactive and up to date Q&A. Document and cover repeated questions
▪ SEO optimized content
▪ Company/service specific Stack Overflow/Answers

10. Internal vs External
API Documentation
03

11. ● Distinguish what goes in details in internal API docs
unlike external as a product for 3rd parties
● SME knowledge transfer and sharing
● Define dependencies and cover them in details
● Follow your structure
Internal APIs
API references

12. External API is a product, so are the API docs
Straightforward, to the point, short and sweet
Support (don’t distract) with visuals/diagrams
Gather and incorporate feedback on usability
External APIs as a product
API references

13. Thank you!
kate.osadchenko@gmail.com
LinkedIn/Kathrine Osadchenko

14. Q&A

15. New York
JULY
Australia
SEPTEMBER
Singapore
APRIL
Helsinki & North
MARCH
Paris
DECEMBER
London
OCTOBER
Jakarta
FEBRUARY
Hong Kong
AUGUST
JUNE
India
MAY
Check out our API Conferences here
50+ events since 2012, 14 countries, 2,000+ speakers, 50,000+ attendees,
300k+ online community
Want to talk at one of our conferences?
Apply to speak here