All APIs must have support mechanisms to ensure API consumers have self-service or direct support channels, as well as regular feedback loops for soliciting feedback or answering specific API questions from consumers, going beyond the problems consumers may have encountered using APIs.
APIs Must Be Supported and Have Feedback Loops
Policies
Support
Support is one of those things that separates APIs that get adopted from ones that get abandoned. Making it clear how consumers can get help -- email, tickets, forums -- is essential.
Feedback
Feedback loops are how you learn what is actually working and what is not. Making it easy for consumers and stakeholders to share their thoughts on the business and technical details of an API cont...
Questions
Teams need a clear channel to ask questions about the API lifecycle, governance, and implementation details. Whether through issues, discussions, or email, the path to answers should be obvious.
Experiences
Alignment
I see product and engineering teams talking past each other constantly when it comes to APIs. Without alignment on the why behind each API, you end up with technically sound resources that nobody a...
Change
Change is the one constant across the API landscape, and I watch teams struggle with it every single day. If you aren't actively managing and communicating change across versions, deprecations, and...
Communication
I struggle with how little communication happens between the teams producing APIs and the people consuming them. Blogs, changelogs, roadmaps -- these are building blocks that most teams just skip, ...
Consistency
When I look across the API landscape, consistency is one of the biggest challenges I see. Every team does things differently, and the surface area of inconsistency just grows until governance becom...
Discovery
Discovery is the dark matter of the API landscape. Teams build APIs that already exist somewhere else, and consumers can't find the APIs they need. Without a catalog and proper metadata, you're jus...
Quality
I see the quality of APIs eroding across the landscape. Teams ship fast and never look back, but consumers feel every rough edge, every missing example, every inconsistent response. Quality is what...
Reliability
Reliability is where the rubber meets the road in the API landscape. If your APIs aren't up when consumers need them, and if new versions don't land smoothly, none of the other building blocks matter.
Simplicity
I am a big believer that the best APIs are the simple ones. When I see overly complex API designs, I know someone was thinking about their internal architecture instead of the consumer. Keep the su...