Confession time: I’m always buying stuff from ads.

That might make me the rare developer who doesn’t user an ad blocker.

(I think ads are part of how the web works—but that’s a whole other topic)

Sometimes I get pulled into purchases I might not have made otherwise.

Recently, it was the Tidbyt:

Tidbyt is a small display with 2,048 tiny LEDs that allows for connecting modern data feeds with a retro look.

Or animating Nyan Cat.

I admit, the Tidbyt developer platform was part of what convinced me to buy one.

“Maybe I’ll build something,” I lied to myself.

It might not have even occurred to me what to build if not for the Tidbyt app gallery. This display of potential is important to both Tidbyt users and developers alike.

When I edited ProgrammableWeb, I talked to many companies that launched new APIs without any example integrations.

Zero. Not from others, not from their team.

They’d explain that they didn’t want to hold back the creativity of the developers who would use their API.

“We can’t wait to see what you build” became a cliche.

(By the way, that phrase is now on the footer of Twilio’s website—unironically, I think).

The problem with waiting to see what developers build is that they might never get an idea.

Especially in these early API times, it was common to “let a thousand flowers bloom.” But my understanding of botany suggests you need to plant some seeds before the flowers will bloom.

Share some ideas of what’s possible to seed their creativity.

It was important back in those heady days of APIs and it’s even more important now. These ideas help developers know whether your product can help solve their problems.

Want to see a great example in action? Don’t go to Twilio or Stripe.

Instead, see how Plaid makes a first impression with developers.

One of the ways Plaid seeds developer possibilities is through use cases, which it includes on both its primary website and its documentation.

How can you incorporate some developer ideas into your content?