The role of conceptual knowledge in API usability

While many studies have investigated the challenges that developers face in finding and using API documentation, few have considered the role of developers´ conceptual knowledge in these tasks. We designed a study in which developers were asked to explore the feasibility of two requirements concerning networking protocols and application platforms that most participants were unfamiliar with, observing the effect that a lack of conceptual knowledge had on their use of documentation. Our results show that without conceptual knowledge, developers struggled to formulate effective queries and to evaluate the relevance or meaning of content they found. Our results suggest that API documentation should not only include detailed examples of API use, but also thorough introductions to the concepts, standards, and ideas manifested in an API´s data structures and functionality.