The goal
The Developer Relations team wanted to improve every developer-facing touchpoint and cut the time it takes to make a first API call. They asked the design team to lay the research foundation: who uses Paystack’s developer products, where to reach them, what content they respond to, and what tools they use.
Objective 01
Define Paystack’s developer personas, covering developers and the people around them who shape the decision.
Objective 02
Inform a redesign of the API docs’ information architecture.
Hypothesis
Less time spent deciding whether Paystack is the right fit.
Less time spent getting from sign-up to a working integration.
Fewer integration questions reaching technical support.
01 · Research
Process
We framed the objective, reviewed what was already known, set research questions, and described the audience before choosing methods. I led the interviews alongside the DevRel team, focusing on how developers choose a payments partner and how they use Paystack today.
Who we spoke to
We recruited from key accounts, merchants who build on Paystack’s code solutions, and teams that use the API docs heavily.
Developers
High proficiency
The primary users, building scalable products who need to understand exactly how the APIs work.
Hobbyists
High proficiency
Developers building personal and open-source projects, often in languages Paystack doesn’t officially support.
Decision makers
Tech adjacent
CTOs, founders and PMs who weigh cost, support and reputation as much as the code.
Finance teams
Basic proficiency
Treasury and accounting teams who need to know Paystack supports their everyday work.
Discussion guide
Choosing and using Paystack
The wider developer world
02 · Insights
Choosing a provider
Evaluation starts with the documentation. If it’s easy to understand and easy to test without writing code, the decision is half made. Support, cost and how quickly a team can learn the product decide the rest, and founders lean heavily on each other’s experiences.
Part of it is vibes. You go to their docs and it’s easy to understand, so you like it already.
I can avoid spending valuable time integrating with a partner just from hearing feedback from founders who are more experienced.
If Paystack had put a big “beta” sign on it, it would have helped me manage my expectations.
Using the docs
Disputes, chargebacks and refunds lacked clear how-to guides. One CTO said they’d read 60 pages on chargebacks, because they cost money.
Useful tools like the CLI sat out of sight, and features like card tokenisation weren’t stated clearly. Search could do more.
Developers using other languages wanted friendlier examples, typed response fields, and a shortcut to the most used endpoints.
Content and community
Content
Community
Great developer experience starts long before the first API call.
The takeaway03 · Personas
Synthesis
We built three personas from the interviews and validated them with the survey data. Nearly half of respondents (46%) had up to three years’ experience, so the junior developer needed as much attention as the CTO. With the DevRel team, we then mapped where DevRel was winning, where it wasn’t, and the opportunities in between.
Persona 01 · The Learner
Freelancer · 0–3 years · Nairobi
“My end goal is to make a comfortable living out of working in tech. For now, I’m looking for opportunities to contribute to interesting projects that enable me to grow, connect with other developers and get recognised.”
What they need
Gaps and challenges
Persona 02 · The Journeyman
Senior engineer · 4–7 years · Lagos
“I want to establish myself as an expert in my field and become a thought leader in specific topics.”
What they need
Gaps and challenges
Persona 03 · The Manager
CTO · 8+ years · Cape Town
“I want to ensure that we are building scalable technology and that the tech is performing well, and that my engineering organisation is nurturing and retaining talent.”
What they need
Gaps and challenges
04 · Opportunities
Docs
Content
Community
Trust
05 · Outcome
What changed
DevRel now plans content and events around the three personas, and used the findings to fix gaps in the docs and tools.
Updated Transfers and Bulk Charge docs, a new Developer Tools section, common API errors with fixes, refreshed Node.js and Python libraries, and new Android and iOS SDKs.
Meetups in Accra, Lagos and Nairobi, and sponsorship of DevConf ZA and the GirlCode ZA hackathon.
A CTO roundtable in Lagos with AWS, designed for the Manager, on scaling infrastructure while keeping costs down.
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