Our guests talk about their insights and experience as documentarians. We bring advice from behind open and closed developer portals, ideas on what new learnings you can aim for, and recent experiments from the field of API documentation.
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Streamline release notes: balance AI and human oversight (00:35:10)
Senior technical writers Gareth Brinn and Lydia Pedersen talk about using GPTs and n8n to automate release notes: scripting, prompt engineering, and synthesizing data from Jira and GitHub. Next plans include using AI for first drafts of core docs while maintaining oversight. Their advice: start simple, iterate, and grow to achieve process improvements and strategic benefits.
API thought leader Kevin Swiber and Pronovix CEO Kristof Van Tomme join the podcast to explore the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the emerging governance challenges it presents to API strategy. We discuss the need to balance driving business value and opportunity against mitigating the security risks associated with rapid MCP adoption, noting the pressure this technology puts on enterprises to safely enable its use. MCP and Large Language Models (LLMs) are changing paradigms from simple access control (previously focused on preventing access to the wrong information) to managing and bridging context between different systems, such as a workflow for example between a corporate context and a remote context.
State of the Docs 2025: Insights from GitBook - Discussion with Addison Schultz (00:28:28)
We discuss findings from GitBook's "State of the Docs" report (2025), for example that 90% view documentation as crucial for purchases, yet 40% of those interviewed don't track its performance. We talk of speeding up API integration, and GitBook's focus on refining adaptive and personalized documentation features, then address avoiding tunnel vision and keeping discoverability for users, underscoring the ongoing innovation in the field. Bio: Addison Schultz is a web developer & designer working and living in Tokyo, Japan. He leads the developer relations team at GitBook, a tool for technical teams to document their products and APIs. He's been working the last 7 years on collaborative tooling, worked with some of the world’s leading design and development companies, providing product teams with advice and industry advice on how teams can build better products, faster.References: https://www.stateofdocs.com/2025/https://gitbook.com/docs/https://apithedocs.org/ai-docs-online-2025
How AI Impacts Technical Writing Workflows - Discussion with Anila Zaidi and Marco Spinello (00:56:07)
Welcome back to the A(P)I The Docs podcast! We’re opening this new chapter with an absolute treat of an episode in which Anila Zaidi, Staff Technical Writer at Squarespace, and Marco Spinello, Senior Technical Writer at Booking.com discuss the transformative role of generative AI in technical writing and beyond. We explore how AI has evolved from an experimental tool to an essential aid whilst also touching on the challenges and ethical considerations surrounding AI.
Documentation by humans for humans - Discussion with Polina Zaichkina and Max Clayton Clowes (00:43:21)
How do you get people on board when you shift to a new tool or a new approach? Even if the value proposition is clear, it might be a challenge to create a practice out of the change.
In this episode of API The Docs, Polina Zaichkina (Senior technical writer at Codat) and Max Clayton Cowes (Product director for experience at Codat) share insights about building a culture of participation around documentation and achieving internal enablement.
From Inconsistent to Award-winning Docs - Conversation with Naomi Pentrel & Andrew Feierabend (00:50:38)
In this episode, Naomi Pentrel and Andrew Feierabend share their journey of revamping Viam’s robotics APIs documentation. They discuss the benefits of sitting down with actual users in well-structured interview sessions with specific scripts and tasks. Learn about their approach to user research, their team’s collaborative methodology for achieving daily usability wins, mentoring, and implementing larger-scale changes like automation. And it all started with a smart cat feeder!
The Secret Sauce of Developer Programs: A Conversation with Byrne Reese (00:56:46)
Byrne Reese had the opportunity to build a number of developer programs over the years. In this episode, he explains his unique Developer Pyramid framework which he uses as a guide to build a successful and scalable developer program now at RingCentral. He also dives into his passion for board games and how it influences his approach to documentation, and explores the Workflow Builder tool that redefines building on the RingCentral platform. Tune in for all the details!
Teaching and Learning Git - Discussion with Anna Skoulikari (00:27:30)
When it comes to learning Git, it can be daunting to navigate the plethora of learning resources out there. Recognising the need for a visually engaging all-levels experience, Anna Skoulikari (JetBrains) decided to write her own self-study book to help learners along the way.
Install ways to check on the overall health of the portal - Conversation with Rachel Lee Nabors (00:25:39)
"Key results are the things you're going to do to move that number. Here's the thing where most people spin out. There should be a break mechanism on the things that you're doing […] a culture of experimentation, and objective critique around 'Is this the right thing to be doing?” Welcome back to our two parts episode with Rachel Lee Nabors, we continue with talking about developer portal stakeholders and your metrics based approach.
React.dev and storyboarding with Rachel Lee Nabors (00:23:37)
"You can always tell when it's a novice writer or a writer and an artist who are in bad relation because there will be blocks of text everywhere explaining how the character is feeling […] There's a delicate balance to be struck and it's the same with code.” Welcome Rachel Lee Nabors, one of the creators behind the grand award-winning react.dev portal where all 600+ code examples are manipulable, and in each section’s "code challenges," learners are encouraged to fix broken examples by following clues left by the core team.
On the management track - conversation with Claire Waters (00:44:35)
Drawing from her role as a wayfinder, Claire Waters (Senior Manager – Product Content Experience, Cloudflare) shares her team’s using the COIN methodology for embracing AI tools as a team, and how they engage in low-stakes AI challenges to foster familiarity and comfort with AI technologies.
The zen of resilience - Discussion with Dan Grabski (00:49:23)
You need docs and headspace when a well-oiled system inevitably throws a flat tire. With Dan Grabski we talked from car racing through tech execs mediating at Burning Man, forest fire incident management systems and early expectations setting all the way to API docs and back again.
Writing with humans in mind - Discussion with Ryan Young (00:36:02)
Technical writers walk a tricky tightrope between delivering accurate technical information and making it comprehensible for a wide range of users with varying levels of technical experience. In this episode, Ryan Young (Technical writer at Stripe) shares his thoughts on bridging the gap between different content layers and writing for humans in a digital world.
DevPortal Awards Jury Interview - Special Edition Part 4 (00:16:34)
How can one make their devportal accessible and useful at the same time? What can devportal owners do to support inclusive design? We were honored to ask Susanna Laurin (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies, G3ict and IAAP Representative to the EU) about these questions in 2023’s DevPortal Awards framework. As she highlighted, developer portals were a new field for her, and she saw many angles to approach accessibility. We are happy to share Susanna’s remarks and suggestions with you.Further resources:
Best Developer Portals 2023
DevPortal Awards 2023 Jury Interview
DevPortal Awards Jury Interview - Special Edition Part 3 (00:22:10)
The API The Docs Podcast brings you a Special Edition series with insights from the 2023 DevPortal Awards.
Each year, the DevPortal Awards seeks the most outstanding solutions with the help of experienced jurors, who are volunteers with extensive knowledge of API programs, developer portals, and API documentation.
In the Special Edition series, we share interviews with the jurors which were recorded during the online Awards Gala events in November, 2023.
How can developer portals incorporate gamification into their workflows? How do jurors Anne Gentle (Developer Relations Leader at Cisco DevNet), Bob Watson (Senior Technical Writer), and Michael Richardson (Advanced Software Engineering Manager at Kroger) see the importance of user experience research and design? In 2023, the DevPortal Awards jury members discussed the possibilities, and their remarks could help to create a better user experience for devportals. We are glad to share the episode with you.
Further resources:
Best Developer Portals 2023
DevPortal Awards 2023 Jury Interview
DevPortal Awards Jury Interview - Special Edition Part 2 (00:28:09)
The API The Docs Podcast brings you a Special Edition series with insights from the 2023 DevPortal Awards.
Each year, the DevPortal Awards seeks the most outstanding solutions with the help of experienced jurors, who are volunteers with extensive knowledge of API programs, developer portals, and API documentation.
In the Special Edition series, we share interviews with the jurors which were recorded during the online Awards Gala events in November, 2023.
What could be the similarities between Choose Your Own Adventure games and developer portals? Is it possible to reach that level of interactivity to interlocking journeys? In 2023, the DevPortal Awards jury members discussed a few possibilities that could be more than sci-fi. We are happy to share the interviews with you. In this episode, you hear insights from Kruno Golubić (Technical Writer at Memgraph), Marco Spinello (Senior Technical Writer at sanity.io), Richard Smedley (Principal Technical Writer at Couchbase), and Ryan Clifford (Platform Group Product Manager at Spendesk).
Further resources:
Best Developer Portals 2023
DevPortal Awards 2023 Jury Interview
DevPortal Awards Jury Interview - Special Edition Part 1 (00:18:40)
The API The Docs Podcast brings you a Special Edition series with insights from the 2023 DevPortal Awards.
Each year, the DevPortal Awards seeks the most outstanding solutions with the help of experienced jurors, who are volunteers with extensive knowledge of API programs, developer portals, and API documentation.
In the Special Edition series, we share interviews with the jurors which were recorded during the online Awards Gala events in November, 2023.
If everything would be possible, what could be the future of developer portals? What aspects do experts welcome, and what elements would be better to leave behind? In 2023, the DevPortal Awards jury members shared their insights with us. We are honored to bring the interviews to you. In this episode, you can learn from DevPortal Awards jurors Chris Bush (Lead Developer Educator at MongoDB), Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti (Principal Technical Writer at Splunk), and Koichi Shiroma (Senior Product Development).
Further resources:
Best Developer Portals 2023
DevPortal Awards 2023 Jury Interview
Harnessing the power of customer success - Discussion with Charlie Edwards (00:36:32)
Connected to both customers and internal teams, customer success is a powerful source of valuable information throughout the entire feedback loop. In this episode, Charlie Edwards (Customer Success Manager at CAE Technologies Limited) explains how the feedback from customer success teams contributes to the comprehensive improvement of products.
The API The Docs Podcast was brought to you by Pronovix.
https://pronovix.com/
Building empathy with a beginner’s mindset - Discussion with Adrienne Braganza Tacke (00:49:46)
Adopting a beginner’s mindset allows you to explore familiar concepts through a lens of curiosity and openness. But how does that translate to documentation? In this episode, Adrienne Braganza Tacke (Sr. Developer Advocate & DevNet Community Programs Lead at Cisco) explains the unexpected benefits of writing with newcomers in mind and how it can take documentation to the next level.
Docs anthropology, and how to make content useful for the future - conversation with Portia Burton (00:27:22)
How does a biological anthropologist become a professional docs auditor? Portia Burton, founder of DocumentWrite, narrates her meandering journey from biological anthropology to ESL China, through blockchain technology community engineering, all the way to content audit services. We talk about what to look for in an audit, and what is often critical for a successful content inventory [spoiler: speed]. Where to dive in to make the most of the existing content for the future?
Demystifying DevRel and Tech Writing - Discussion with Kruno Golubic and Katarina Šupe (00:53:52)
Technical writing and developer relations are relatively new areas, and they have both grown out of a need for these specific skill sets. However, for newcomers in the IT landscape, it might take a while to understand what they actually mean and how they support the work of developers. Kruno Golubic (technical writer at Memgraph) and Katarina Šupe (DevRel at Memgraph) explain the benefits of a successful mentorship initiative, the different definitions of developer experience, and the challenges of technical writing that set it apart from other disciplines.
Fostering an API-first culture in a startup environment - Discussion with Alex Akimov and Helen Kosova (00:42:54)
From rapid changes to learning on the fly, startups face unique challenges that require creative solutions. Alex Akimov (Head of API Platform at Monite) and Helen Kosova (API Technical Writer at Monite) discuss how Monite’s API council supports the adoption of an API-first approach at the company.
Empowered community through user-centered design - Discussion with Anthony Pichardo (00:23:51)
With Anthony Pichardo, product manager at Visa Developer Platform, on the value of user-centered design and building non-zero sum environments where everyone wins. Community is not just an afterthought, it’s an integral part of strategy. The platform team conducts regular user research to gauge pain points, and constantly strives to minimize the learning curve to better serve the community’s needs.
Unified documentation hubs versus documentation islands - Discussion with Christoph Weber and Kristof Van Tomme (00:41:00)
We explore how developer documentation hubs enable a unified information architecture, at least outwards: our guests Christoph Weber (Pronovix) and Kristof Van Tomme (Pronovix) talk about the nuanced, socio-technical nature of large scale documentation processes, the need for a central API docs team, and the future use of private LLMs.
Why convert from markdown to confluence? - Interview with Paula Cristina Vaz (00:23:46)
Developers are the ones who know their APIs best, but they need an easy documentation process that wouldn’t be too different from the coding lifecycle to produce the technical documentation at scale. Senior technical writer Paula Cristina Vaz outlines the Documentation Framework at Farfetch, created to process markdown files and convert them to Confluence HTML. She talks about the page and document templates that help writers structure their documentation in a standardized way.
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