Designing Platforms That Scale: Lessons in Velocity, Reuse, and Strategic Impact
From APIs to Outcomes: How Scalable Platforms Drive Business Velocity
Let’s face it—“platform” might be one of the most overused words in tech. Somewhere between “synergy” and “AI-powered,” it’s lost a bit of meaning.
But if you’ve ever had to actually build a platform—one that multiple teams rely on, that works at scale, and that people want to use—you know just how tricky (and valuable) it really is.
I’ve had the chance to lead platform initiatives in a few different settings—most notably at Yahoo, where I worked on content management and publishing tools, and later during my consulting time with Strategic Education, where I helped unify digital experiences using Adobe Experience Manager. Different orgs, different goals, but the same core idea:
Build something once. Make it reusable. Help everyone move faster.
Let’s dig into a few lessons I’ve learned the hard way.
So… What Is a Platform?
A platform isn’t just a fancy term for shared code. It’s not just a set of APIs. And it’s definitely not a giant bucket labeled “stuff multiple teams use.”
A platform—when done well—is a scalable foundation that enables other teams to move faster with less friction. It’s a product that powers other products. And the users? Usually developers, designers, content creators, or anyone building on top of it.
One thing I’ve come to believe strongly:
If people don’t want to use your platform, it’s probably not a platform. It’s a requirement. And nobody gets excited about those.
Start with a Vision: Who Are You Helping, and Why?
The best platforms I’ve seen don’t start with architecture diagrams—they start with empathy.
At Yahoo, our platform vision was pretty simple: Help each editorial team publish content faster without rebuilding the same tools 10 different ways. That meant creating a shared API layer and CMS experience that still allowed for some flexibility and brand personality.
At Strategic Education, the platform was less about speed and more about cohesion—bringing Strayer and Capella into a unified experience while honoring what made each unique.
In both cases, the real question wasn’t “What can we build?” It was “What problems do teams keep running into, and how do we solve them once, for everyone?”
That mindset—solving shared problems at scale—is at the heart of platform thinking.
Developer Experience (DX) Is the Product
Here’s an easy way to kill a platform: make it confusing or slow to adopt.
I’ve learned (again, sometimes the hard way) that internal developers are your customers, and their experience matters just as much as any external user.
If onboarding takes weeks, docs are out of date, or support is a black hole… they’ll build their own thing. And they won’t look back.
So ask yourself:
Is it easy to get started?
Is it clear what this platform does—and doesn’t do?
Do teams want to use it, or do they just have to?
If the answer is “ehhh,” it might be time for a DX refresh. Small things—like quickstarts, Slack support, or sample apps—can go a long way.
Reuse Is the Real ROI
One of the simplest metrics I love to track is: how many teams are using this thing? And more importantly—are they using it the same way, or hacking around it?
At Yahoo, we celebrated every time a new team adopted a shared publishing service or component. Not just because it felt like a win (though it did!), but because it meant:
Less duplicate work
Faster launches
More consistency
Easier updates down the line
And honestly, that’s what makes platform work satisfying: when you see it ripple out into real-world impact.
Don’t Forget the Business Lens
Look, it’s easy to get deep into the weeds of scaling, caching, or decoupling services—and hey, that stuff’s important. But it’s not the point.
The real value of a platform is what it unlocks for the business.
A few ways to frame that:
Are we reducing time-to-market for new features?
Are we helping teams say “yes” to new use cases, not “maybe in six months”?
Are we lowering costs by avoiding duplicate efforts?
If your platform metrics aren’t tied to business outcomes, it’s hard to get continued investment—or buy-in from leadership. Keep the big picture in mind.
Final Thought: Build for Empowerment, Not Control
Here’s the trickiest part of platform work—it’s a little invisible. When things are working well, nobody notices. And when they’re not, well… you hear about it a lot.
That’s why platform teams need a unique mix of technical depth, empathy, product sense, and honestly, a good sense of humor.
Because in the end, building a successful platform isn’t about owning everything. It’s about enabling others to go further, faster—with less friction.
And when you get that right? You’re not just shipping code. You’re shipping velocity.