apidays Australia 2022 - Enabling Business Networks September 14 & 15, 2022 API design challenges and making APIs your common language David Yonan, Founder at FlowStep.com ------------ Check out our conferences at https://www.apidays.global/ Do you want to sponsor or talk at one of our conferences? https://apidays.typeform.com/to/ILJeAaV8 Learn more on APIscene, the global media made by the community for the community: https://www.apiscene.io Explore the API ecosystem with the API Landscape: https://apilandscape.apiscene.io/ Deep dive into the API industry with our reports: https://www.apidays.global/industry-reports/ Subscribe to our global newsletter: https://apidays.typeform.com/to/i1MPEW

1. 1
“APIs are GREAT!!!”
(when you have one)

2. 2022 SERIES OF EVENTS
New York
JULY
(HYBRID)
Australia
SEPTEMBER
(HYBRID)
Singapore
APRIL
(VIRTUAL)
Helsinki & North
MARCH
(VIRTUAL)
Paris
DECEMBER
(HYBRID)
London
OCTOBER
(HYBRID)
Hong Kong
AUGUST
(VIRTUAL)
JUNE (VIRTUAL)
India
MAY
(VIRTUAL)
APRIL (VIRTUAL)
Dubai & Middle East
JUNE
(VIRTUAL)
Check out our API Conferences
www.a pida ys .globa l
Want to talk at one of our conferences?
apidays.typeform.com/to/ILJeAaV8

3. 2
David
Yonan
Founder, CEO and Head of Product @ FlowStep
▪ Former Global API and Digital Transformation consultant with
▪ 24 year career in software development
▪ Based in Sydney, Australia

4. 3
Making APIs your
common language
API Days
Melbourne 2022
David Yonan
Founder and CEO of FlowStep
david@flowstep.com
I’m passionate about building
software, and I strongly believe in
these 2 things.
- You need to know what you’re
building, and
- Using APIs as the common
language for your
requirements is essential.

5. 4
David Yonan
Founder and CEO of FlowStep
david@flowstep.com
I’ll share principles and
practices to help shape the way
you think about what you’re
building.
And I’ll show you how to get
more people interested and
involved in the design of APIs.
These things also form the
foundation upon which
FlowStep has been built.

6. 5
Q: How do you make APIs your
common language?
A: Make APIs relevant by
Adopting an “API First” mindset

7. 6
Public APIs
API Catalogues
Internal APIs
API Products
Private APIs Restricted APIs
Internal APIs External APIs
OpenAPI
Specifications
Consumer
Scope
An “API First” mindset is a shift in the way
businesses deliver data and services

8. 7
Getting Started
(we need to agree on a few things)

9. 8
Data enables Outcomes
APIs transmit Data
Interactions identify APIs
APIs enable the process of building software
Users have Problems
Problems require Insights
Insights define Requirements
Requirements determine Functionality
Functionality establishes Processes
Processes describe Interactions
Outcomes delight Users
Enabled by APIs

10. 9
APIs are daunting and the challenges go
well beyond “hello world” examples

11. 10
Do better business
(internal enablement)
Why you create APIs?
OR / AND
Do digital business
(publish API products)

12. 11
How you define APIs?
"Experience define the Technology"
(Outside-In / Top Down)
OR
Technology define the Experience
("Inside-Out / Bottom Up")

13. 12
Motivators and Buy In
(muster the troops)

14. 13
What motivates people
Business Product Design Development Infra and Ops
Winning Value Coolness Standards Confidence

15. 14
“Building the
business on APIs is
a competitive
necessity.”
Business:
“How do we
win?”

16. 15
“Deliver Value.
Every screen,
sequence and
interaction of value
is enabled by an
API.”
Product:
“How do we
get people to
love it?”

17. 16
“Design stuff that’s
realistic. Charles Eames
says Design depends
largely on constraints.”
Design: “How do
I design the
coolest thing?”

18. 17
“APIs provide a
framework for
standards and help
people to explore,
discover, connect
and self serve”
Devs: “Stop asking
dumb questions!
BTW we need better
standards”

19. 18
“Help people
understand the
services that
comprise your
applications”
Infra and Ops: “You want
what by when?!
I’m not confident we can do
that…”

20. 19
Flawed Processes
(40 years on and we still suffer)

21. 20
Why do we always start with a blank page?
No prompt, structure or guidance.
We understand the constraints of the environment and the business…
People are expected to “magically” know where to start, and how to work.
We assume they’ll understand and follow the principles and practices that have been created by other people.
This doesn’t make sense…
Every project should start with the same set of questions.

22. 21
Ask these important questions
"What are we building, and what value
does it add?"
“What’s the data? And where does
it live?”
"Do the services exist? And are
they fit for purpose? "
"What does success look like, and
how do we scale that success?”
“How are things related? And what
happens when something
changes?"
“What APIs do we need? And what
do they need to do?”

23. 22
New Requirements (BLANK)

24. 23
Defining data (BLANK)

25. 24
Documenting requirements
Business Product Design Development Infra and Ops

26. 25
Business Product Design Development Infra and Ops
The Observability NightmareTM

27. 26
Fragmentation causes Fragility

28. 27
The biggest challenge that
companies face is not from
technology, competition or
regulation.
It’s the “people” challenge.
Despite best intentions, people rarely work to
their full potential for extended periods of time.

29. 28
Improved Procedures
(a framework to support development)

30. 29
Collaborative
Design Thinking
Structured
Promote Agility
Collective
Wisdom
Repeatable
Models
“Human”
Centred
Embrace
Change
Build Better Software Better TM

31. 30
✓ General Principles
✓ API Specifications and Documentation
✓ API Audiences
✓ HTTP Requests and Status Codes Use
✓ API Security
✓ API Lifecycle, Versioning and Workflow
✓ Case Conventions for URLs, Data and APIs
✓ Data Objects, Enumerations and Booleans
✓ Traffic Management Policies
Establish a
foundation built
on good
governance

32. 31
Figure out which
tools you want to
use

33. 32
Some tools will be
used to capture
requirements

34. 33
Other tools will be
used for
documentation
and artifacts

35. 34
Collate
requirements,
design processes,
and define the
documentation

36. 35
Use context and
constraint to refine
the collective
understanding

37. 36
Formalise solutions,
identify APIs, and
create development
artifacts

38. 37
Build the solution
and try minimise
change

39. 38
✓
Recap:
✓ Think API First
✓ Solve the problem of the user
✓ Understand “Why” and “How” you create APIs
✓ Know what motivates people to get them to “buy in”
✓ Review your development processes and toolsets
✓ Beware the observability nightmare

40. 39
A collaborative, API first, and documentation first framework for
modern software development

41. 40
FlowStep Supports 4 Core Pillars
Requirements
The context to allow your business to succeed
Data
The information your business requires to transact
APIs
The way you enable your business
Governance
The framework in which your business operates

42. 41
Establish Desired Outcome Create the User Flow Stories
Business Objective and Value Identify Functional Objectives Detail Each Flow Step
Define Interactions and Data
A structured process to consistently deliver high quality outcomes
FlowStep is Process Oriented which means
it is Analytic, Repeatable and Scalable

43. 42
FlowStep provides observability across your
business by proactively highlighting change

44. 43
Your Requirements Destinations and Formats*
Documented in FlowStep Instantly Creating
Documentation
Configurations
Artifacts
*Not all integrations are completed
Standards
Functionality
Data
APIs
How FlowStep works

45. 44
Application Overview

46. 45
FlowStep Demo - Click to watch on YouTube

47. 46
So in summary…
Adopt API First Understand “Why” and “How” of APIs
Solve the problem of the user Motivate people to get “buy in”
Beware the observability nightmare Stop starting with a blank page - use a framework
Make APIs the Common Language

48. 47
Check out flowstep.com
Free Plans
Launch Plans
15 day Free Trials

49. 48
Mike Amundsen
Cincinnati, Ohio
API Strategy
Grant McDougall
San Francisco, California
Business, Sales and Marketing
Alex White
San Jose, California
Customer Delivery & Strategy
A MASSIVE thank you to
my advisors, and investor

50. 49
Thank You
David Yonan
Founder and CEO
Sydney, Australia
Ph: +61 404 963 729
Em: david@flowstep.com