# The empathy gap: Why your platform needs UX, not just APIs

DevFeed: [The empathy gap: Why your platform needs UX, not just APIs](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-empathy-gap-why-your-platform-needs-ux-not-just-apis-12234.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://platformengineering.org/blog/the-empathy-gap-why-your-platform-needs-ux-not-just-apis>)

Author: Tatiana Mikhaleva

Published: 2026-07-23T05:40:01Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Platform Engineering Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/platform-engineering-blog.md>)

Topics: [User experience (UX)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ux.md>), [Platform Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/platform-engineering.md>), [internal developer platform](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/internal-developer-platform.md>), [Developer Platform](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/developer-platform.md>), [dashboards](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/dashboards.md>), [Backstage](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/backstage.md>), [Kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/kubernetes.md>), [Terraform](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/terraform.md>), [dora metrics](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/dora-metrics.md>)

Tags: [backstage](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/backstage.md>), [developer-platform](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer-platform.md>), [dora-metrics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/dora-metrics.md>), [idp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/idp.md>), [kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/kubernetes.md>), [logs](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/logs.md>), [metrics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/metrics.md>), [onboarding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/onboarding.md>), [platform-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/platform-engineering.md>), [product-design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/product-design.md>), [terraform](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/terraform.md>), [ux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ux.md>)

## AI overview

The article argues that Internal Developer Platforms should be designed as products with strong UX, not exposed as collections of APIs. It describes how cognitive friction, unclear errors, outdated documentation, and tool switching reduce developer adoption and productivity. It recommends visual engineering practices such as pipeline graphs, actionable failure messages, and service status dashboards, while questioning an exclusive focus on DORA metrics.

## Source excerpt

Discover "the empathy gap" in platform engineering. Learn why relying only on APIs and DORA metrics leads to low Internal Developer Platform (IDP) adoption, and how treating your platform as a product with great UX can reduce cognitive friction and bring developers joy