---
title: "My 2016 technical writing trends and predictions, or the ripple effects of API growth on technical writers"
date: 2015-12-29
description: "About trends posts The starting point: APIs, endpoints, device meshes grow in popularity 1. Use of Swagger with API docs becomes an..."
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/2015/12/29/trends-technical-writing-2016/
---
# My 2016 technical writing trends and predictions, or the ripple effects of API growth on technical writers
One reason we read posts about trends is because we want to know whether our skills are evolving to match the changing technology landscape, so that we’ll feel comfortable and secure in the future of our jobs.

If we find that technology is changing more rapidly than we can process, we might need to reorient our skillset, adjust our job functions or focuses, or alter our career direction to better align with the demands of the market.

But trends posts are a mixed bag. For trends posts to be interesting, writers have to go beyond the obvious to explore some new, unthought angle about the future. Those kinds of far-out predictions tend to be amusing but unfounded.

I highly doubt you’ll be riding to work in your driverless car while coding on a large holographic computer screen, using your hands to manipulate objects like in *Minority Report* while your wearable tech jacket communicates to your doctor a host of data about your health and physical condition (probably that you’ll soon die of heart disease from sitting all day).

On the other hand, more conservative predictions about trends for the coming year probably tell you just slightly more than you already know, which is likely disappointing as well. People crave new information and ideas (we’re all curious about the future), and there’s no better soapbox to evangelize your new ideas than with a trends post, which welcomes grandiose predictions without much backing.

In this trends post, I’ll try to avoid both of these pitfalls. I want to start with one main undeniable trend, based on a fact. In this case, the core trend that will act as a starting point is the proliferation of APIs in companies.

Based on this core trend, I’ll then extrapolate all the ripple effects of the trend on the technical writing community. Basically, as the following diagram illustrates, the ripple effect of API growth will affect technical writers in a variety of ways.

![The ripple effect of APIs on the technical writers](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/apiripple.svg)

## The starting point: APIs, endpoints, device meshes grow in popularity

According to Evans Data (in 2014), about half of the developers worldwide are working on APIs of some kind. Evans Data says:

> “Of the 18.2M software developers in the world, 1.2M are now publishing APIs for external use… 4.7M publish APIs that are external but limited to their partners or registered associates…. Not all APIs are published externally, 8.9M developers worldwide publish APIs for internal use only.”

In other words, about 50% of developers are working on internal APIs. Although only about 7% are working on external APIs, technical writers document both internal and external APIs, so it doesn’t matter tremendously who the audience is. That’s a lot of engineers working on APIs!

What’s driving the rapid development of APIs?

Evans Data says:

> “The Internet of Things and the proliferation of platforms across all industries have led to an explosion in the number of developers publishing APIs externally” said Janel Garvin, CEO of Evans Data.” We expect that number to increase proportionately in relation to the population going into the next three years, and not just keep up with projected population growth.” ([1.2 Million Developers Publish APIs for External Use, New Evans Data Developer Population Study Finding](http://www.evansdata.com/press/viewRelease.php?pressID=207))

Gartner reports a similar trend. In their 2016 tech trends, they list the “device mesh” as a top trend:

> The device mesh refers to an expanding set of endpoints people use to access applications and information or interact with people, social communities, governments and businesses. The device mesh includes mobile devices, wearable, consumer and home electronic devices, automotive devices and environmental devices — such as sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT).”

> In the postmobile world the focus shifts to the mobile user who is surrounded by a mesh of devices extending well beyond traditional mobile devices,” said Mr. Cearley.

> While devices are increasingly connected to back-end systems through various networks, they have often operated in isolation from one another. As the device mesh evolves, we expect connection models to expand and greater cooperative interaction between devices to emerge. ([Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2016](http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3143521))

The device mesh means a large number of objects are connected to each other, so that it’s one interconnected techscape of devices, all interacting with your own device as you navigate past them.