Designing APIs and Designing Value for an Education Graph

Alan Dix
Talis and University of Birmingham
www.hcibook.com/alan/

 

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Full reference:
A. Dix (2012). Designing APIs and Designing Value for an Education Graph. (unpublished).
http://alandix.com/academic/papers/
apis-2012/
 


Abstract

APIs (application programmer interfaces) are part of the fabric of Web interaction from ubiquitous Google maps to Facebook 'Like'.  They have fostered the growth of many major web applications, enable niche mash-ups servicing the long-tail of web2.0 development, and enhance user experience in many sites.  This paper uses a case study of an educational application to explore the area of API design. It finds that HCI issues, technical design and market considerations are not siloed concerns, but interact closely in the design of rich APIs that provide value and ease of development to developers and enhanced user experience for end-users

Keywords: API, Linked Open Data, designing value, web development

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Alan Dix 31/3/2012