Overview
In 2015, Software AG launched the webMethods Developer Portal as part of its API Management Solutions portfolio. I joined the team a year after its initial release, leading end-to-end design for a new API developer portal while continuing to support release work on the existing portal and creating custom themes for the application.
In 2023 webMethods was acquired by IBM
Impact
Market Presence
Developer Portal, is utilized by approximately 90+ companies
Fortune 500 organizations using the webMethods Developer Portal.
Industry Recognition
In 2022, named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Full Life Cycle API Management for the 5th consecutive year & highest score in the strategy category in The Forrester Wave™: API Management Solutions, Q3.
CONTEXT
The webMethods API Developer Portal is a web-based, self-service API management solution designed for DevOps teams to securely expose APIs to partners, app developers, and third-party integrations. It serves as an API marketplace, enabling businesses to drive adoption, foster developer engagement, and accelerate API monetization.
The need for a new API Developer Portal
- Customization & high technical barriers - The portal required developers to have expertise in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to make even minor UI modifications. The lack of a visual customization interface resulted in poor usability and a steep learning curve.
- Fragmented developer experience - The outdated UI made it difficult for users to navigate, discover, and test APIs efficiently. Lack of a structured feedback loop hindered developer collaboration and engagement.
- Inconsistent information architecture - API documentation was disjointed, making it hard for developers to find relevant information quickly. The absence of intuitive search and filtering reduced efficiency in API discovery.
Approach
As the Lead Product Designer, I took a research-driven approach to enhance usability, adoption, and customization capabilities. I led the end-to-end design strategy, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers and engineers, to ensure seamless implementation.
- User research: Conducted X customer interviews to understand developer pain points and business needs.
- Competitive analysis: Performed a landscape review of competing API portals to identify differentiation opportunities.
- Information architecture: Restructured content to improve navigation and findability.
- Prototyping: Developed low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity interactive prototypes to validate design decisions.
- Customization enhancements: Designed a scalable theming system to allow API providers to align the UI with their branding.
Outcome
- 90+ enterprise customers adopted the API Developer Portal to showcase and manage their APIs.
- Winner of API World Summit Awards for innovation in API lifecycle management.
- Introduced tiered customization (basic, intermediate, expert) to support diverse user needs.
- Enhanced customization reduced customer onboarding time by 50% , allowing teams to tailor the UI without extensive development effort.
- Enabled API consumers to discover, explore, and test APIs seamlessly , improving developer engagement.
The new API Developer Portal successfully evolved into a highly customizable and scalable platform, strengthening Software AG's position in the API management market.
