Why Developer Experience Is Now a Product Priority

I’ve been thinking a lot about why some tools just click, while others make me want to shut my laptop and walk away.

You know the feeling. You’re trying to integrate an API, the docs are vague, the error messages are useless, and you’re deep into Stack Overflow just to make a simple request work. That experience sticks with you, and not in a good way.

On the flip side, tools like Stripe, Supabase, and Vercel feel almost… relaxing to use. Things work. The examples actually run. You copy, paste, and suddenly you’re productive. That feeling matters way more than we used to admit.

DevX used to be something teams promised to “improve later.” Now it feels like the product. With APIs everywhere and AI writing more of our code, bad developer experience stands out instantly. If something is painful to use, it’s easier than ever to just switch.

For me, good DevX is pretty simple:
How fast can I get something working?
Do the docs help me when I’m stuck?
Do the errors tell me what I did wrong instead of blaming me?

More and more, the tools that win aren’t the most powerful ones. They’re the ones that make you feel capable while using them.

And honestly, as someone who’s integrated a lot of APIs and fought through a lot of bad docs, I’m really glad this is finally getting the attention it deserves.