Postman Industry Project

We have successfully completed our pilot industry project program with Postman. Throughout the program, our Product Design fellows collaborated in teams to work on a project focused on transforming API documentation. With the guidance of mentors from Postman, they brought innovative solutions that significantly enhance the learning experience for API consumers.

In this blog post, we will provide an overview of the program and share the experiences of both the fellows and mentors. The Product Design Fellowship program aims to support designers in refining their design process through mentorship and real-world projects. Industry projects play a crucial role in the Fellowship, providing designers with exposure to top design teams and exciting project opportunities!

What does Postman do?

Postman  is the top API platform, simplifying every aspect of the API lifecycle. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, it streamlines API workflows, enhances productivity, and offers tools for request management, automation, testing, and debugging. Trusted by over 25 million users, Postman is an essential tool for API development and integration across industries.

What was the Industry Project with Postman?

Having well-written documentation is extremely important for API producers. It helps them effectively communicate how their API works and how consumers can use it. On the flip side, if the documentation is poorly done, it can cause a lot of problems.

Consumers may struggle to understand the API's functionality and how to integrate it into their projects. This can waste their time and effort and push them to look for other APIs. As a result, the API producer's business outcomes could suffer. So, it's crucial to prioritise clear and comprehensive documentation to ensure a smooth and successful API integration process.

To address this challenge, it is essential to establish feedback loops that allow consumers to have their questions answered and provide suggestions for improving the documentation. The goal is to create a collaborative space where consumers can swiftly learn how to successfully utilise the API.

These were the expected deliverables for addressing the pain points and problem statement under the project:

1. Clear "jobs to be done" statements. These statements should identify the specific tasks that users need to accomplish with the API, as well as the pain points they experience when trying to do so.
2. Diagrams. These diagrams should illustrate the system and how it helps users achieve their "jobs to be done." They can include flow diagrams, empathy maps, and other visual representations.
3. Key focus areas. These are the areas of the system that need to be improved in order to address the users' pain points and achieve their desired outcomes.
4. Proposed solution. This is a detailed description of the proposed solution, including wireframes, storytelling, and an explanation of the value it provides.
5. Figma prototype. This is a working prototype of the proposed solution that demonstrates the essential user journeys. It should highlight the interaction, experience, and design rationale.

By following these guidelines, the deliverables should effectively address the pain points. The team should provide a suitable solution and present a visually appealing and functional Figma prototype to illustrate the key user journeys.

How was the experience for the fellows?

This project was a new field for our fellows, but they were eager to learn and contribute! Vishal Agale, who works in a design and consultancy agency, shared his experience:

"I really enjoyed the opportunity to work on a live project with a design team. I wasn't familiar with APIs before, but this project gave me the chance to learn something new about how they work and their basic structure. 

Initially, I faced some challenges with the technical aspects, but with the help of the Postman design team, we were able to overcome those hurdles. We had weekly sessions dedicated to this purpose. Overall, it has been a great learning experience!"

- Vishal Agale, Fellow from cohort 10, Product Design Fellowship 

Another fellow, Divyansh Sharma, who is currently a usability specialist at eClinicalWorks, said:

"I was thrilled to be a part of the Ownpath x Postman industry project aimed at transforming API documentation. By addressing the pain points outlined in the brief and collaborating with Postman's design team, we were able to provide innovative solutions that enhance the learning experience for API consumers. 

This collaborative effort has the potential to revolutionise how developers interact with APIs and positively impact businesses relying on API integrations."

- Divyansh Sharma, Fellow from cohort 6, Product Design Fellowship  

The fellows were grateful for the opportunity to work on a real-world project and learn from experts in the field. They also appreciated the collaborative environment and the support they received from the Postman team. Overall, they found the experience to be both challenging and rewarding.

How was the experience for Postman?

The design team of Postman worked hard in making this industry project successful. This is what Taanvi Chhetri, one of the members of the team says-

“I really appreciate how ownpath allowed us to bring our technical constraints and the real world to the designers or the fellows. I think it was nice to see a few fellows that were very interested and keen on being challenged. They were very honest about being afraid or intimidated or uncertain about the project. It's good to challenge them. It's good for them to get a taste of the real world. 

Some of the team members stood out. They really surprised me and I was like, okay, Wow. I wasn't expecting it. Honestly, I think that was a big thing for us to be able to do it.”

- Taanvi Chhetri

Here are the other amazing team mentors: Sapna Nayak  and Sanket Pathak. Go check out their work!

A heartfelt thank you to Postman for their valuable time and collaboration. Your insights have had a significant impact on our fellows’ learning journey!

If you’re a designer, you can join our Product Design Fellowship. Apply for the next cohort!

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