I’m working my way through banking and Fintech companies in the UK, and I stumbled across the Starling banking API. I began doing my usual clicking around as I do with any API, looking at the documentation, the getting started, and other primary links. After landing on the Starling getting started page, I have to say that it is the single best example of a getting started page I have ever come across in my time as API Evangelist. It is robust, informative, well laid out, and has everything you need to well, get started.
The Starling getting started page is broken up into six separate sections:
1) Register Your Application
2) Setup Starter Kit
3) Play in the Sandbox
4) Personal Access
5) Going Live
6) Contact Us
Each getting started section has a simple, concise description with relevant visuals and code samples, as well as possession simple action buttons, like sign, login, register application, and the other meaningful things you need to get started. The Starling getting started is going to become my go to example of how to create an API getting started page. You can really tell whoever put it together spent a lot of time refining it, and walking through it until it was 100% complete.
Starling even has a sandbox, marketplace, and a join Slack button. I can’t rave about their approach enough. I’m going to turn it into a case study regarding how to create a getting started page, and showcase on the home page of the site. I wish every API put as much energy into their getting started page as Starling has. It would take the friction out of on-boarding APis, and make it a much more pleasant experience.
