Background
Link Technology enables brands and print service providers to serialize, track, and engage with products through secure digital marks. To support enterprise-scale integration, Link offers both a no-code web console and a powerful suite of APIs.
While the web console offers an easier path for non-technical users, the APIs provide greater flexibility and scalability—but historically posed a steep learning curve.
As Link prepared to launch the next generation of APIs and developer tools, improving usability, documentation, and onboarding became a strategic priority.
The Challenge
Many customers struggled to integrate Link APIs independently:
•Limited guidance around implementation
•Inconsistent documentation
•High support burden on engineering teams
To increase adoption and reduce support load, we needed to:
•Simplify API onboarding Improve documentation and developer resources
•Consolidate fragmented tools into a single, intuitive portal
•Embed UX into the API development process itself
My Contribution
As the UX lead for the Link API initiative, I drove multiple experience design efforts across strategy, research, and design execution:
•Partnered with stakeholders to embed UX checkpoints in the API development cycle
•Mapped real-world customer journeys to identify key friction points across API adoption
•Redesigned the Link Developers site, including IA, task flows, and usability testing
•Led usability testing of API tasks and developer tools, from SDKs to authentication
•Collaborated cross-functionally with product, engineering, and support to drive improvements
UX process:
1. Understanding API Use in the Wild
To ground the redesign in real usage:
•Created detailed journey maps for customers using one or more APIs
•Identified which APIs were used at each stage of the workflow
•Mapped touchpoints, dependencies, and integration pain points
journey map showing API usage across packaging, production, and distribution stages.
We gathered insights by:
•Interviewing sales, support, and business development teams
•Participating in live calls with existing and prospective customers
•Exploring how global teams use Link APIs across multi-country supply chains
2. Developer Portal Redesign
To simplify onboarding, we redesigned the Link Developers website with goals that included:
•Understand purpose and object model within 5 minutes
•Get authenticated and make a test call within 30 minutes
•Find help resources when blocked
We performed usability testing on key pages:
•Landing Page
•Get Started Guide
•Authentication Instructions
Each round of testing informed iterations that improved clarity, hierarchy, and developer success rates.
Iterated designs of key onboarding pages, tested with developers to reduce time-to-success.
Link Developers homepage
Authentication Instructions page
“Get Started” page
3. API Usability Testing
To validate the developer experience hands-on, we conducted in-person API usability testing with clear goals:
•Validate ability to complete key tasks:
•Create a QR code
•Generate a short URL
•Embed a watermark
•Use SDKs and documentation alone—no verbal help
•Complete all tasks within a predefined time
We ran three testing rounds and used a shared real-time Google Doc for distributed observation logging. Success metrics and usability issues were documented and transformed into updated user stories within 48 hours.
Real-time usability findings captured and translated into actionable development tickets.
Impact
•Integrated UX checkpoints into the API development lifecycle
•Reduced onboarding time for developers by simplifying setup and documentation
•Reduced support load by improving API discoverability and self-service options
•Created a unified developer site for Link and Reveal platforms
Closing Thoughts
APIs are a product—and developers are the users. By combining field research, iterative testing, and end-to-end design strategy, we transformed a complex technical ecosystem into a more approachable, scalable developer experience. The foundation we’ve built enables Link Technology to support advanced integrations while keeping developers in flow.