Welcome to the latest edition of the API product management newsletter, dedicated to helping product teams drive more business value from their APIs and API products.
This week: Our selected posts this week shape the story of adaptability, engagement, and seamless integration in product management. From enhancing developer engagement to how Spendesk rapidly launched an alpha API platform, check out these tales of innovation and strategic growth.
But first, a reminder! We only include:
- The top 3 most useful resources we’ve come across the two weeks prior. Any more than that, and we find our browser tabs become unmanageable
- What we find personally useful – and digestible – as product and product marketing managers
- Educational content (whether an article, whitepaper or event). No product pitches – that includes yours truly.
💡The good stuff: This week’s API product management links:
“A product’s APIs are more crucial than ever before” – David Barnes
Product leader David Barnes is on a mission to show why a product’s APIs are more important than ever. With the growth of large language models (yes, ChatGPT, we’re talking about you), APIs have become the linchpin that enables non-technical folk to prototype and experiment. That means API products need to remove barriers to integration, making it effortless to consume them. David asserts that APIs have become the threads that weave together the tapestry of modern digital experiences. We hear you, David.
‘Level up your developer experience: Creating awesome support resources’ – Kristin Womack
In this engaging talk by Kristen Womack from Microsoft at the 2023 Platform Summit in Stockholm, she unveils invaluable insights and expert tips to empower developers in building with your platform. Womack’s expertise shines as she delves into the intricacies of developer success, emphasising the significance of catering to both internal and external developers. From optimising documentation, crafting effective code samples, navigating SDKs, and gathering crucial insights, Kristen will talk you through how to significantly level up your developer experience so your platforms pack a punch.
‘Launching an alpha API platform at speed’ – Ryan Clifford
Group product manager Ryan Clifford takes us on a journey as Spendesk, a unicorn scale-up, opens its platform through APIs. Ryan shares a real example of how the Spendesk platform team crafted a vision for APIs and seamlessly delivered an alpha API platform in just a few months. This session explores the strategy, practical frameworks, and top tips that fueled the adoption of their alpha API while gaining insights on how to gracefully scale from alpha to beta and general availability. Ryan’s API story is an excellent inspiration for platform growth, and we’re here for it!
♟️ Looking to make a move? Current API product management vacancies:
Product Manager – Ivy API – Munich/Berlin (option for remote)
That’s it for this time. If you found this useful, please consider sharing with someone else who may benefit from it!
💥 Got an article, video or event that belongs on this list? Respond to this email telling us why you think it’s useful to product managers learning about APIs and the API lifecycle. If you’d like a shout-out, please include your Twitter, Github handle or LinkedIn URL and the name you’d like including.
💌 And finally… This newsletter is created by Tyk – API management that accelerates your product development. By signing up to this newsletter you’ll be consenting to receiving the next one (and the one after that), but we will never put you on another list without your *explicit* consent. Read the previous edition here.
Get on the list
