Search results

API the Docs recording: How Trends in API Documentation Differ from other Tech Comm Trends

by Tom Johnson on Jun 4, 2020
categories: api-doc • podcasts

I recently presented a session at the API the Docs virtual series on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, as part of the 5th edition. My session covered dev doc trends, and another session covered API design. A recording of my presentation is available below.

API the Docs Virtual Series

Last month I posted about the API The Docs Virtual Series 2020, with an explanation of the format and upcoming presentations. Here’s what the 5th edition covered:

5th edition: 27 May (6-8pm CEST) – API docs trends & API design.

  • Joan James (Zebra Technologies): How the Open API Specification led to Better REST API Design
  • Tom Johnson (Amazon): How Trends in API Documentation Differ from other Tech Comm Trends: Results from a Comprehensive Survey

Here’s a description of my presentation:

How Trends in API Documentation Differ from Other Tech Comm Trends

Although informative research has been done to gather general tech comm trends, few surveys limit the responses to only those working in the developer doc space. I recently gathered information about dev doc trends from more than 400 respondents specifically working in dev docs (mostly API docs) through a comprehensive 50-question survey. The results, which you can view here, show that the tools, workflows, and challenges for those working in API docs differ in notable ways from those working with other types of docs. In this presentation, I’ll both present the findings of this research and analyze their significance. The survey’s results can help orient, direct, and validate the experiences of technical writers working in the dev doc space.

Here’s a short video teaser introducing the topic:

Here’s the recorded video:

You can view more recaps here: Recordings, slides and recaps available:. There’s also an API the Docs podcast that captures some of the Q&A around events.

Audio only

If you only want the audio, you can listen here:

Listen here:

Slides only

If you only want the slides, they’re here:

Developer Documentation Survey Results

Registering for more API the Docs events

If you haven’t registered for upcoming Virtual Series events, you can register on Eventbrite. You can also become an API the Docs supporter here.

The virtual series format involves 30-minute presentations (pre-recorded and then played live) on Crowdcast.io followed by interactive chats on Google Meet. The event lasts two-hours. Recordings will be available the following week.

About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see my posts on AI and AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech comm.

If you're a technical writer and want to keep on top of the latest trends in the tech comm, be sure to subscribe to email updates below. You can also learn more about me or contact me. Finally, note that the opinions I express on my blog are my own points of view, not that of my employer.

© 2024 Tom Johnson