Developer experience. If you provide APIs or API-first products, you likely hear that term a lot. After all, you need developers for an API to succeed — and if they don’t have a great experience, they’ll move on.

What Is Developer Experience?

Developer Experience (DevEx or DX) is an extension of user experience (UX) where the focus is on users impacted by the technical side of things — for example, tooling, languages, and workflows. But DevEx is far more than “UX for developers”: it means ensuring that developers can easily understand and leverage an API for their own applications and use cases. Great DevEx happens when you communicate with your developer users, understanding and meeting their needs directly. If you can win over developers, you can build a large and thriving ecosystem around your products.