Application Program Interface Development

“If your company wants to be prepared to thrive in the mobile revolution, APIs should be a primary focus, not an afterthought.” —Wired Magazine

Though largely hidden from you as a client, Application Program Interface Development is an important aspect in many of our projects.

Commonly referred to as an API – the application program interface is a set of tools, protocols, and routines used to build software applications. An API tells discrete software components how to interact with data and are often used when programming a graphical user interface or mobile app.

“On the Web, APIs make it possible for big services like Google Maps or Facebook to let other apps “piggyback” on their offerings.” —Read Write

A useful API makes it easier to develop a program by providing the needed building blocks. A developer or programmer assembles those building blocks. Software developers use Web APIs to create software solutions for end users.

To simplify the idea of Application Program Interface development, consider that the Internet features countless “services” that facilitate data on an ongoing basis. Simple examples might be the weather forecast, the time, or a train schedule. More examples of API sources include Google Maps, Twitter, YouTube, and Amazon.

“These days, APIs are especially important because they dictate how developers can create new apps that tap into big Web services—social networks like Facebook or Pinterest, for instance, or utilities like Google Maps or Dropbox.” —Read Write

Well, you might have an idea for a mobile app that needs to access some discrete bits of information from online sources — but it has to be done efficiently and securely. Through years of technical experience, we understand the importance of good API design. The Spark Creative development team definitely tracks and follows best practices for API development. We know that it makes sense to forge a common API that can easily scale and adapt to requirements as they change.

Application Program Interface development can often come into play for us when creating mobile apps. Spark Creative understands app development and can carefully lead you through the process, executing your idea in a straightforward, cost-efficient way.

“The key is not only to create APIs out of your existing systems but provide APIs that are enterprise-grade level. This includes security, governance, and scalability but still provides usability factors the users are looking for.” —Wired Magazine

We carefully track and follow industry best practices for app development to help ensure your project reliably delivers the results you want. We start the process by considering the main audience for the app and checking out app stores to make sure someone else hasn’t already built it.

Once the project is approved, we can involve potential users in the design and build a storyboard and IA document. Next, we can carefully work out the size and positioning for buttons and create the application. Once we have a beta, we’ll test and refine until it’s ready for release.

Sources may include:
What APIs Are And Why They’re Important, Brian Proffitt, ReadWrite
Why You Need to Think About APIs Before Websites, Brant Debow, Wired Magazine
How APIs Fuel Innovation, Andy Thurai, Wired Magazine