Overview

Twitter’s developer platform leadership proposed a business opportunity to expand access to the Twitter API, and enable external developers to enhance Twitter surfaces at scale. My design team brought this future vision to life.

The Twitter API’s legacy started as open and un-gated, then over time shifted towards controlled and gated. Our mission was to reopen it strategically and safely to unlock revenue and creative potential.

 
 
 

Design process

 
 
 

Success metrics

Our goal was to increase monthly active developers who create solutions for Twitter customers. We collaborated with data science to measure baselines for current:

  1. Sign ups

  2. Time to 1st API call

  3. Developers who access the API at least 3 times within the first 10 days of access 

 
 
 

Usability testing

We designed a prototype and tested it with two groups:

  1. Twitter API Insiders

  2. Developers who use comparative APIs, but not the Twitter API

Testing the prototype helped us refine each feature. At the end of each test, we asked candidates which features they would invest in, given $100 to invest, which helped us make informed judgements about prioritization.

 
 
 

Final pitch

The design team pitched a limitless developer experience. This included:

  1. API endpoints organized by revenue and reach potential 

  2. API experimentation ahead of sign up

  3. Fast access to keys and tokens

  4. No limits on number of apps, request rates and Tweep caps

  5. Immersive code editing experience

  6. Sample apps

  7. No code or low code configurator tools

  8. Visual displays of API usage and app performance

  9. Automated bad actor detection