API Performance Summary
In the context of API producers publishing their APIs on Postman, there was a need for a system to monitor consumer engagement and improve their APIs for greater adoption by consumers. I led the design of a consumer engagement and feedback system. I collaborated to design a monthly engagement summary emails tailored for API producers. The positive outcome of this effort was reflected in the key performance indicator (KPI) for adoption - the fork count of the producer's APIs increased by 15.2%.
DURATION
2 months
MY ROLE
Product Designer at Postman
METHODS
User Interviews, Data Scraping, Brainstorming, Impact - Feasibility Matrix, Wireframing, Gamification, High - Fidelity Prototyping
Problem Statement
After conducting 1:1 meetings with key stakeholders and performing preliminary research, I refined the problem statement and reframed it using the extended Jobs to Be Done framework:
Goal
Solution
We developed an MVP by designing monthly summary emails for each team, providing relevant metrics and tailored recommendations to enhance the quality of their APIs.
Impact
We received positive feedback from the producers on how these summary emails are beneficial for them to understand and measure their consumer’s interaction with their APIs.
Getting into the research
The initial problem statement I received from the PM was vague and fuzzy. I organized 1:1 meetings with the Product Manager, Product Head, Design Manager, and fellow designers to better understand the problem we were addressing, why it needed to be solved, why the current design wasn't working, and what success would look like.
Analyzing current design
To better understand the issues in the current design, I analyzed recorded producer calls, developer relations, and data from social forums such as Reddit, Twitter, and Medium.
I conducted rapid affinity mapping on the collected data to identify key problems in the current system:
Research Questions
After conducting preliminary research, I developed the following research questions to guide me toward solving the problem:
What are quality APIs?
Every producer wants to build a quality API, but quality is a very ambiguous and subjective term.
What are relevant metrics for producers?
Producers need metrics to see whether their APIs are moving towards or away from Quality APIs.
How can we assist them in building quality APIs?
Producers need our assistance in making relevant improvements in their APIs.
Strategy to answer research questions
After brainstorming with engineers, developers, & our chief engineering architect, we crafted following idea:
Defining quality APIs
Understanding consumers' interactions with APIs will help me uncover their pain points. Addressing these pain points from the consumers' perspective will allow me to define quality APIs, answering the first research question.
I conducted contextual inquiries with six consumers to observe how they search for the right API for their use case. This approach helped me identify their key challenges and pain points throughout the process.
I decided to present my findings in the form of consumer journey with stages, actions & pain points:
Alleviating these pain points will help me to define quality APIs:
Suggestions for producers to improve APIs
I also conducted a feature mapping exercise within Postman, using insights from customer analysis to propose actionable suggestions for API producers, which will help answer the third research question.
Prioritize metrics
I facilitated a workshop with my Design Manager, Senior Product Designer, Product Managers, and Developers to prioritize the key metrics for our first launch. Together, we identified which metrics to focus on initially and which to save for the next phase.
Design Opportunities
So, after rationally comparing the 2 ideas as shown above, we decided to go with idea-2. I created the high-fidelity design. I also created the mobile design of the emails.
Visualizing interactions
Visualizing change in engagement and functional metrics over time.
More customization
Giving users control on the way to see their metrics.
Assisting Producers
Providing suggestions coupled with metrics to assist producers in enhancing their API quality.
Ideation
We aimed to start small and decided to introduce it in the form of 'Monthly Summary Publisher Emails.' This approach will enable us to test the idea and iteratively enhance it over time. Consequently, I began creating various sketches to address the challenges within this problem space
Final Design
After conducting usability testing, I analyzed all the data and did the affinity mapping to highlight the following issues in the key flows:
Reflections
During my time as a Product Designer at Postman, I stepped into a hybrid role, taking on user research responsibilities in the absence of a dedicated researcher. Before designing a solution to help producers measure API quality and assist in building APIs, I realized the importance of first defining what constitutes a quality API. This project challenged me to develop a strategic approach to answering this question effectively.
I also learned the value of collaborating with various stakeholders to address research questions. Identifying the right stakeholders and leveraging their expertise proved critical in navigating ambiguity and building a strong case for my design decisions.
I also learned that addressing every issue at once is neither practical nor effective. It’s crucial to filter and prioritize the most critical problems, gradually expanding the scope as we address them. This structured approach ensured the solutions were both impactful and scalable.
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2024 Ravi Jangir. All Rights Reserved.
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