For most developers evaluating a new API, the "time-to-hello world" is a key metric. This timeframe spanning API discovery to successfully getting to that first "It works!" message represents developers' entire initial impression of a platform—the longer and more complex this journey, the higher the risk of churn.
Infobip, a global cloud communications platform reaching over 190 countries, understood the direct connection between optimized developer onboarding and activations. As Adrian Benić, Chief Product Officer, notes:
The more time a user spends setting up, looking for, reading, and understanding, there's more opportunity for them to find an alternative.
Adrian Benić, CPO at Infobip
So when Infobip analyzed their API documentation and code samples, they found plenty of room to reduce friction:
Complex SDK setup: Developers had to download SDKs, configure local environments, and reference libraries before writing any application logic.
Abstract code examples: Samples used dummy placeholders instead of concrete use cases developers could quickly run.
Signup/login prerequisite: Getting API credentials required a separate registration process before testing.
These factors stretched the crucial first-use phase. And with developer attention spans requiring instant gratification, drawn-out tutorials resulted in lackluster activation rates.
Streamlining Onboarding for a Cloud Leader: Infobip's API Activation Journey
Adrian has spent over a decade shaping experiences that enable developers to innovate. His journey with Infobip parallels its rapid growth into a global cloud communications platform trusted by leading enterprises.
I joined Infobip when it was very small, around 13 years ago, and started from customer service, eventually ending up in product. I really enjoy solving problems - that's what product is all about.
Adrian Benić, CPO at Infobip
Originally founded in 2006, Infobip emerged as a leading provider of omni-channel APIs connecting businesses with over 7 billion mobile devices and IoT endpoints. The platform offers unrivaled speed, reliability, and scale, powered by a full-stack telco-grade infrastructure.
We offer APIs for any communication channel you can imagine, for use cases like multi-factor auth, notifications, customer support, and more.
Adrian Benić, CPO at Infobip
As enterprises digitally transform operations around cloud technologies, they turn to solutions like Infobip to manage high-value interactions. With over a decade and a half of messaging expertise, Infobip serves prominent banks, social networks, and global 2000 brands.
From those early days in customer support to charting product strategy across Infobip's 4000+ workforce, Adrian has focused on customer-centricity.
The success of any product depends on deeply understanding users and their problems," he emphasizes. "My main strength is grasping what makes a truly great product experience."
This customer-first perspective shaped how Infobip analyzed bottlenecks in its developer experience—identifying friction points led to a pioneering collaboration with Daytona.
Streamlining Developer Journeys with Instant In-Browser IDEs
To transform its developer experience, Infobip turned to Daytona and its unique ability to launch development environments instantly—the strategic collaboration integrated real-time API interactivity into Infobip's docs, removing all friction from the initial setup.
It was really to help developers accelerate that first 'hello world' moment, get them to send the first message as quickly as possible...and experience the platform's value.
Adrian Benić, CPO at Infobip
Now, instead of bothering with local config, developers access remote development environment with Infobip's SMS/MMS/RCS APIs pre-loaded through a single click. The environment handles authentication automatically, letting developers jump straight to running live code samples.
Crucially, the pre-populated examples use the developer's phone number for sending and receiving messages. This closed-loop creates a magical moment when the SMS sends an API call and triggers a text message right on the developer's mobile device.
"Seeing our platform in action and then being able to directly integrate it themselves accelerated developers' understanding tremendously," Adrian explains. "It gave them confidence that this is what they were looking for."
Real-World Impact: Increase in API Activations
The simplified developer journey successfully transformed Infobip's signup-to-value phase. According to Adrian, integrations built using Daytona slash the time required to get that initial API confirmation often to just minutes.
Overall, Infobip has seen a 13-14% conversion rate among business users, while with developers, the conversion rate is significantly higher at over 40%. This suggests that the accelerated time-to-value is crucial for retention and preventing churn to competitors. Resources contributing to value delivered, such as Daytona, may affect higher conversion success.
The simplified developer experience both improves brand sentiment and drives commercial success. As Adrian concludes:
Enabling developers to integrate and build with your platform faster and easier has a tremendous impact on key metrics that signal commercial opportunities downstream.
Adrian Benić, CPO at Infobip
