## [Improve Developer Adoption and Onboarding](/blog/improve-developer-adoption-and-onboarding) Information Architect & UX Researcher, Head of Service teams May 28, 2022 What features of a developer portal can be used for **frictionless onboarding** and **success in developer adoption**? Consider the two typical streams of **onboarding users to your developer portal** - **Downstream (consumer) journey**: developers and decision makers who use the devportal to source APIs and product solutions - **Upstream (creator) journey**: developers, decision makers, and content editors who populate the devportal with its APIs, product solutions, and documentation This article outlines how the features of the [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals), from Pronovix, contribute to frictionless onboarding and success in developer adoption. ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/03_api_catalog_2.jpg)Zero Gravity developer portal API catalog ([Zero Gravity Developer Portal](/developer-portals) from Pronovix)## ownstream (consumer) Journey **1. Facilitate/Guide the steps** your developers take **to register** and **to get started**. [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals) provide the ability to **guide a user during registration and onboarding**. Onboarding includes reading the fine print or at least accepting the **terms and conditions** offered by your developer portal, potentially **confirming an identity** with an email address, or utilizing your company’s **single sign on (SSO)**. Where applicable, we layout the steps necessary for an easy predetermined path. When a user registers on your devportal we can redirect them to the next step where they can take action. For example, while waiting for identity confirmation, we can point the user at a list of the most accessed APIs that they can ‘try out’ while waiting for their registration to be confirmed/completed. If an SSO user belongs to a specific group, we can direct them to that group’s predefined start point. 2\. Developers can **visualize and explore the API specification**. [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals) generate API reference pages by uploading **Swagger 2.0** or **OpenAPI 3.0** files either manually or programmatically. The API reference UI can use either **Swagger UI** or alternatively **Redoc** for visualizations. The devportal also uses **OAS visualization** to adjust styling for customer specific branding within the devportal context. End users access a page with a nice and clear design with all the necessary functionalities like a **try-it-out** option. A developer can discover and research the API via **code visualization & sample code**. 3\. There is a clear context for receiving **supporting documentation**. API Reference documentation/technical documentation is not enough. The [Zero Gravity developer portals](https://pronovix.com/developer-portals) expand the potential reference documentation to include supporting pages such as **release note, legal documentation, and a business landing page for APIs**. The latter explains the benefits and features of an API to business personas or to developers who are exploring the business value of your APIs. With this structure in place, it becomes easy to find **SDKs, use cases, case studies, examples, API overview pages, and tutorials**. 4\. The right tools are available to improve **discoverability** of APIs and product solutions. Your ability to discover APIs depends on the number of APIs being showcased and their available documentation. Most often a **basic search** of the API reference pages that includes some filters is sufficient to find your API. The [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals) also provide an **API Catalog** for a survey listing of APIs and solutions by category. **Use cases** that orient the audience to the affordances of an API or group of APIs, can also be created and promoted via the devportal **blog** or exposed using **Zero Gravity's page builder**. For the cases where there is a vast library of APIs or solutions with sometimes questionable documentation lacking discoverability, we provide several potential options such as **advanced search** (of the entire developer portal), targeted **API catalog search**, or even an **API explorer**. The API explorer is used in the context of technical documentation to discover corresponding APIs via keywords, categorization, or grouped within a project. *More options for discovering APIs, products, and solutions keeps the devportal from* [*becoming an API Freezer*](/blog/4-most-common-api-developer-portal-mistakes)*.* 5\. The processes for requesting or finding **support** are straight forward. Not all developers or visitors to a devportal are expert on your product and offerings. At the same time, not all of our API customers need to provide the same level of support to their users. There are several options available in the [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals) to facilitate your support processes via multiple options such as a **Help Center, FAQ, or a Flexible Contact Form**. In addition we recognize that there are cases when these are not flat pages but interactive experiences, such as a topic driven experience. ## Upstream (creator) Journey 1\. A user guide provides a **quick-start to internal onboarding**. The user guide’s purpose is to help content creators and upstream developers make the most of the [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals)’ potential. The user guide walks people through the devportal’s features with consideration for different learning and reading habits. The user guide focuses on content management and common scenarios. Where applicable, the user guide goes into step-by-step instructions via tutorials or how-tos. It includes an FAQ with suggestions for best practices for content management and basic site configuration. The user guide is an ideal starting point to learn how to use [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals), how to implement API reference documentation, or connect supporting documentation. The user guide also details how to manage users and content items. The user guide is kept up-to-date by the Pronovix Technical Writer team. *The user guide is key to avoid* [*becoming a tyrannical toolchain*](/blog/4-most-common-api-developer-portal-mistakes)*.* 2\. A **flexible authoring experience** configured for upstream developers and content editors. Your technical documentation can be updated during continuous **integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD)** cycles with a **docs-as-code** development process. All other documentation is populated through **basic publishing workflows**. The [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals) provide site administrators (or a group of users with access) with the ability to create, edit, or delete content. Basic publishing workflows support your company’s review process by providing **draft or published** states for content. **Version control** also gives the benefit of restoring previous content as needed. Further, the documentation structure provided for **supporting documentation** prompts people to follow your company’s guidelines for **governance practices**. *Keeping your devportal content up-to-date is vital to* [*avoid becoming an API ghost town*](/blog/4-most-common-api-developer-portal-mistakes)*.* 3\. Place the user's **focus** on where they need to be. [Zero Gravity developer portals](/developer-portals) can mimic the **business unit structure** of your organization so that people, within the context of a business unit or group, can be positioned to first access the APIs and products most relevant to them. 4\. A developer portal that adapts and innovates to **reduce friction within your API program over time**. We know that people prefer to work within their existing/familiar information contexts. Doing so can improve upstream developer adoption of the devportal. Examples: - Developers can make use of a **sandbox environment** to "kick the tires". - Use of **CI/CD** with **docs-as-code** to keep technical documentation up-to-date. - To reduce the friction for upstream developers we developed a means of providing a way to **link Postman projects to API products** within your devportal. - **Analytics to improve SEO** and monitor the success of your API products - **Integration** with **API gateway management platforms** (e.g. Apigee Edge, Apigee Monetization, Apigee Teams, Apigee Multi-orgs) - Technical writers and content editors can work independently from developer processes to **populate supportive documentation in real time**. - Product owners and decision makers have **oversight of the big picture**. ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/px_logo1.jpg_0.png) Are you building a developer portal? Interested in a shortcut? As a devportal company, Pronovix has created developer portals for 70+ customers since 2016. Talk with us to learn how our Zero Gravity developer portal can accelerate and simplify your launch. [Read more about our Devportal Solutions](/) [Contact us](/contact) ## Why these features are important for Developer Adoption and Onboarding We have published many articles that contribute to the features outlined above for the Zero Gravity developer portal. Inspiration for this article was prompted by James Messinger's article in Better Practices on [How to Win at Developer Adoption when you only have a few minutes to impress](https://medium.com/better-practices/accelerate-growth-conversions-with-these-key-developer-onboarding-strategies-e3f0bae48456). ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/library_by_a_kirr_unsplash_small_0.jpg) **User-focused Content Design for API Documentation** How to improve API documentation and learning experiences inspired by the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition. An overview of content and DX elements that help developers along their learning journey. [Read more »](/blog/user-focused-content-design-api-documentation "User-focused Content Design for API Documentation") ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/hu-chen-fz0qzjvf_-c-unsplash_0_0.jpg) **Going beyond Usability with Developer Portals** Starting from an academic study, we outline the engagement attributes that go beyond usability by encouraging your user’s to play an active role in the success of your developer portal. [Read more »](/blog/going-beyond-usability-developer-portals "Going beyond Usability with Developer Portals") ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/guide_0_1.jpeg) **Guides and Tutorials** We explore how the sites reviewed included guides and tutorials in their information architecture, what they covered, and list what could help to maximize their effectiveness. [Read more »](/blog/guides-and-tutorials "Guides and Tutorials") ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/getting_started_0.jpg) **Onboarding Pages** Onboarding pages need to hook the developer. We list the various roles onboarding pages need to fulfill and explore how the developer portals we reviewed expose them. [Read more »](/blog/onboarding-pages "Onboarding Pages") ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/scriptorium_coversdks_0.png) **Software Development Kits (SDKs)** We look at how the developer portals in our research sample included SDKs. [Read more »](/blog/software-development-kits-sdks "Software Development Kits (SDKs)") ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/cover_image_-bees_0.jpg) **Frictionless Onboarding: Optimize DX on Developer Portals** The results of our research conducted to understand the nature of trust issues and to figure out how we can overcome them in order to create a “frictionless” onboarding experience. [Read more »](/blog/frictionless-onboarding-optimize-dx-developer-portals "Frictionless Onboarding: optimize DX on Developer Portals") ![alt](/sites/default/files/inline-images/jesse-bowser-6061-unsplash_0.jpg) **Improve API Adoption by Improving the Downstream Developer Journey** API friction can be seen as the inverse of developer experience, and it is a great conceptual device to help you identify issues in your API products. To create a great developer experience (DX), it is important to remove as much friction as possible from the developer’s journey. [Read more »](/blog/eliminating-api-friction-along-downstream-developer-journey-1 "Improve API Adoption by Improving the Downstream Developer Journey")