Problem
Signicat's developer tools were well regarded by the developers already using them. Documentation traffic was high and feedback from active users was consistently positive.
Attracting new developers was the problem. Becoming a demo user was slow and uninspiring, and many dropped off before they saw what the product could do.
Approach
The project had a short timeline and a small budget. It existed to show whether the portal was worth investing in, so it needed results someone could point at.
I started with the users. Together with the product owner I ran in-depth interviews with current developers and with people who had abandoned the demo signup. One pattern came out of all of them: the first few minutes decide everything. Every extra form field, vague instruction and unnecessary click made it less likely a developer would keep going.
Working with product managers, developers and support, we cut the friction points we found:
- Rebuilt the navigation and information architecture so the documentation was easier to explore.
- Replaced the rigid registration process with a guided, low friction demo flow.
- Embedded API examples in the documentation, so developers could test without leaving the page.
Outcome
The portal went from side project to a standalone product with its own funding.
Good tools aren't the hard part. Lowering the barrier to entry is. For developers, time to first success isn't a metric, it's the thing that decides whether they stay.