The present thesis examines how a human-centered workshop design for finding use-cases for companies in the API economy could look like. For that aim the author used a qualitative exploration process and conducted interviews with 9 experts who have practical experiences in executing workshops and a theoretical background in the field of human-centered innovation to elaborate a first draft. The draft was then tested in four case studies to validate the methods. Based on the analysis of the workshop results and the participants’ feedback a final proposal towards a validated workshop design is presented. The thesis proposes that the best results are reached by implementing two workshop modules. The first module is focusing on the data, services and potential services of a company, connecting it with stakeholders. The second module elaborates the specific requirements of the use-case by discovering the needs directly with a potential client (inside out approach). In the first module the main methods are brainstorming activities, progression curves and the stakeholder map; in the second the central elements are an adapted customer journey (API Service Blueprint) and prototyping. As a result, the technical term “API” is transformed to an approachable topic in a human-centered workshop by getting to know the own company, the API consumer, the end-user and using prototyping to visualize APIs in interfaces the user interacts with. The findings are tailored into a workshop proposal which considers not only the specific methods but also further success factors to provide a complete guideline for a human-centered workshop design.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Relevance for research
1.2 Research questions
1.3 Research design & structure of thesis
1.4 Research focus
2 General Definitions
2.1 Workshop
2.2 API
2.3 API Products
2.4 API Economy
2.5 Human-Centered Design
3 Characteristics of APIs
3.1 Technical Function
3.2 Business Function
3.3 Organizational Function
4 Human-Centered Innovation
4.1 Design Thinking
4.2 HCD Swisscom
4.3 Foresight Thinking
5 Expert Interviews and research about the Workshop Design
5.1 Framework for Interviews
5.2 Interviews
5.3 Results
5.3.1 Expert Interview Findings
5.3.2 Conclusions of expert interviews
5.3.3 Draft
6 Case Studies
6.1 Workshop 1: Z-Squad
6.1.1 Agenda
6.1.2 Execution & Analysis
6.1.3 Learnings
6.2 Workshop 2: X-Squad
6.2.1 Agenda
6.2.2 Execution & Analysis
6.2.3 Learnings
6.3 Workshop 3: A-Squad
6.3.1 Agenda
6.3.2 Execution & Analysis
6.3.3 Learnings
6.4 Workshop 4 – Whole API Tribe
6.4.1 General Factors
6.4.2 Agenda & Participants
6.4.3 Execution & Analysis
6.4.4 Learnings
7 Final design proposal & discussion of results
7.1 Consideration of preconditions of workshop participants
7.2 Final proposal for a workshop design
7.3 Suitability of human-centered design methods for API workshops
7.4 Success factors
8 Conclusion
9 Future Research
Objectives and Research Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to develop a validated human-centered workshop design that enables participants to generate effective and user-centric API use-cases. By combining qualitative expert insights with practical case studies, the research explores how innovation methods can be adapted to the technical and strategic demands of the API economy to reduce uncertainty in API development.
- Integration of human-centered design methods into the API development lifecycle.
- Development of a two-module workshop framework tailored for different stages of API maturity.
- Identification of critical success factors for facilitating innovation workshops in a technical business environment.
- Evaluation of "inside-out" vs. "outside-in" approaches for identifying valuable API use-cases.
- Practical validation through case studies involving agile teams (Squads) within the Swisscom API Tribe.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3 Organizational Function
Enterprises across different industries need to transform themselves perpetually. The circles (of time) in which the enterprises have to transform themselves or at least adapt to new competitors or market situations seem to be shorten (CA Technologies, 2016). It is not just about incremental improvements but especially about radical innovations which have the power to push transformations. The stated fact made organizations adapt to the rapidly changing environments by changing the organizational structure. One approach is creating agile teams which can react quickly on changes and are able to deliver very fast. One example is Spotify which became organized in agile Squads in a Tribe.
APIs have an organizational function as they are supporting these agile structures and their adaption and faster delivery. With API “building blocks” agile teams can use pre-defined functions to create and test new innovations or improvements very fast. APIs are so easy to access and secure to use that agile teams can directly use them without requesting a database access and waiting several months until they can even start their test. APIs are perfectly fitting into the agile framework.
Chapter Summaries
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the digital transformation and the increasing importance of APIs as business drivers, highlighting the problem of defining successful use-cases.
2 General Definitions: Establishes a common terminology for workshops, APIs, API products, the API economy, and human-centered design to ensure clarity throughout the thesis.
3 Characteristics of APIs: Explains the technical, business, and organizational functions of APIs, illustrating how they fit into the "API Value Chain."
4 Human-Centered Innovation: Introduces core innovation concepts like Design Thinking, Foresight Thinking, and the Swisscom-specific HCD approach used as the foundation for the workshop design.
5 Expert Interviews and research about the Workshop Design: Presents the methodology of gathering expert opinions to construct a framework for a validated workshop design.
6 Case Studies: Documents the four practical workshop experiments (Z-Squad, X-Squad, A-Squad, and Whole API Tribe) to test and refine the workshop draft.
7 Final design proposal & discussion of results: Presents the final workshop modules and discusses the suitability of human-centered design methods for API contexts based on the collected findings.
8 Conclusion: Synthesizes the research findings, confirming that a structured, human-centered workshop approach can successfully reduce uncertainty in defining API use-cases.
9 Future Research: Suggests areas for further study, such as deeper technical integration in workshops and long-term analysis of API use-case success rates.
Keywords
API Economy, Human-Centered Design, Workshop Design, Design Thinking, API Value Chain, Use-Case Development, Innovation Management, Prototyping, Agile Squads, Service Blueprint, Digital Transformation, Business Model Innovation, Foresight Thinking, Stakeholder Mapping, API Products
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core purpose of this master thesis?
The thesis aims to bridge the gap between technical API development and human-centered innovation by creating a validated workshop framework that helps teams find meaningful, customer-driven API use-cases.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The research intersects three main areas: the API economy (technical/business aspects), human-centered design methodologies (like Design Thinking and Foresight Thinking), and workshop facilitation techniques.
What is the central research question?
The study asks: "How should a successful human-centered API Use-Case Workshop be designed?" and seeks to provide a practical, actionable answer through its developed workshop modules.
Which scientific methodology does the author apply?
The author uses a qualitative research approach, consisting of semi-structured expert interviews and iterative, practice-based case studies (workshops) with a real-world partner, Swisscom.
What does the main body of the work address?
It covers theoretical definitions, characteristics of APIs, existing innovation frameworks, the design process of the workshop via expert interviews, and the subsequent testing of this design in four case studies.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include API Economy, Human-Centered Design, Workshop Design, API Value Chain, and Digital Transformation.
Why is an "inside-out" approach proposed for API workshops?
The research concludes that starting with a clear understanding of a company's internal data and service capabilities (the "inside") is crucial for creating realistic API products before validating them through external user needs.
What role do "API Product Cards" play in the workshop?
They serve as tangible artifacts that allow participants to visualize and manipulate the company's data and service offerings, making technical capabilities accessible for non-technical brainstorming sessions.
- Citation du texte
- Tobias Blum (Auteur), 2016, Innovating the API Economy. Towards a validated human-centered workshop design, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/459491
