Abstract
In a business world characterized by ecosystem-based competition, APIs are key determinants of success. However, there is very little guidance on how organizations should go about making decisions about APIs. API design must account for the needs of both present and future application developers who use the API, and API outcomes depend on the success of the applications which incorporate that API. As a result, the design of APIs poses unique challenges that would benefit from design science inquiry. At the same time, these multiple sources of input in API design pose special challenges for carrying out design science research. This paper focuses on developing a foundation for future design science research in the API domain by addressing the first two steps of the design science research methodology recommended by Peffers et al: We view these as preliminary steps towards the development of a methodology for the design of APIs.
The authors contributed equally to this paper and are listed in alphabetical order.
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Iyer, B., Wyner, G. (2012). Evaluating APIs: A Call for Design Science Research. In: Peffers, K., Rothenberger, M., Kuechler, B. (eds) Design Science Research in Information Systems. Advances in Theory and Practice. DESRIST 2012. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 7286. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29863-9_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29863-9_3
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