Maurer, FrankBhaskar, Rahul Kamal2015-12-042015-12-042015-12-042015Bhaskar, R. K. (2015). Exploring a Process for Developing Usable Web APIs: A Case Study (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26078http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2654Developing a usable Application Programming Interface (API) is a complex and expensive task. Two major factors play important roles on the usability of an API: its design and the resources made available by designer (e.g. documentation, tutorials). Typically, developers evaluate the usability of an API after implementation, resulting in refactoring tasks that could be avoided if this evaluation were continuously conducted. This thesis explores a process for building usable APIs that combines concepts from an API usability evaluation method (Cognitive Dimensions) and an Agile development methodology (eXtreme Programming). Explored effectiveness of this process and the impact of different resources on usability, I implemented a web-based API and conducted a user study. Results from these two evaluations indicated that: the process was effective to design the API, but ignored some concerns around the resources; and usability was improved when functional examples with source code are provided.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Computer ScienceComputer Sciencemaster thesishttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26078