Presented by Instruqt and the Developer Marketing Alliance (DMA), this thought-provoking webinar dives into the findings of the 2025 State of Developer Adoption Report. It brings forward practical, data-backed strategies to help technical marketers, DevRel leaders, sales enablement teams, and product educators close the developer adoption gap.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. The adoption gap: A growing challenge
3. What works: The most effective developer enablement tactics
4. Biggest barriers to adoption
5. The alignment problem: Teams struggle to connect efforts to org-wide goals
6. The missed opportunity with AI
7. Why community and feedback loops matter
8. What metrics matter?
9. 3 key shifts to close the developer adoption gap
10. Top questions from the Q&A
11. Conclusion + next steps

Hosted by Sean Lauer, VP of Marketing & Product at Instruqt, and James Shaw, Head of Content & SEO at The Alliance, this webinar brought clarity to a problem most software companies face: building something great doesn’t guarantee developers will use it. This session unpacked the results of the State of Developer Adoption Report 2025, which surveyed professionals across marketing, DevRel, sales enablement, and product teams.

The key focus? How to build sustained developer engagement—not just momentary attention.

The adoption gap: A growing challenge

According to the report, 42.7% of teams say budget constraints and complexity are their top barriers to adoption. Even more concerning: while hands-on, real-world training was rated as the most effective enablement tactic, only 33% of respondents actually use it.

Developers are drowning in content—docs, videos, webinars—but few formats help them actually experience a product. The webinar emphasized that hands-on labs offer a faster path to value, reducing time-to-first-success and boosting retention.

📘 Learn more: What is developer adoption?

What works: The most effective developer enablement tactics

When asked which enablement approaches are most effective, survey respondents pointed to:

• Hands-on labs & real-world training (top ranked)
• Self-paced learning modules
• Personalized learning paths
• Real-time learner feedback

Despite this, most teams still rely on legacy tactics like documentation and video tutorials. These can supplement learning, but the data makes it clear: real engagement requires real interaction.

🔗 See also: What are hands-on labs?

Biggest barriers to adoption

Budget and complexity aren’t just talking points—they’re persistent blockers. Many of today’s most innovative tools are also the hardest to learn. Developers drop off when onboarding requires too many steps, dependencies, or tabs.

Sean emphasized: “If it’s not easy to try, it’s easy to abandon.” That’s why fast access to sandbox environments and guided tutorials is critical.

Other challenges noted in the survey:

• Lack of buy-in for new tools
• Siloed teams
• Poor alignment between enablement and product roadmaps

The alignment problem: Teams struggle to connect efforts to org-wide goals

Over 50% of respondents struggle to align their enablement work with broader company objectives. According to James, misalignment between DevRel, marketing, and product teams often leads to fragmented onboarding experiences.

“Without a unified strategy, adoption becomes clunky,” he noted. Sean added that success often lies in telling the story of how enablement contributes to long-term revenue and product usage—beyond short-term metrics.

The missed opportunity with AI

AI can reduce the cost and complexity of developer education, but most teams aren’t leveraging it yet. Only 29% of respondents use AI to create learning content. Just 27% use it to support feedback or interaction.

Why the gap? Many teams fear AI-generated content will sound inauthentic. But as James put it, “AI shouldn’t replace strategy—it should accelerate it.”

Used well, AI can power personalized learning journeys, analyze behavior, and support just-in-time learning. But it only works if the foundations—like high-quality documentation and intuitive onboarding—are already in place.

Why community and feedback loops matter

Developer adoption isn’t a one-player game. Peer-to-peer learning and community-led onboarding are increasingly vital. According to James, “Nothing can replace that level of advocacy. Developers trust other developers more than they trust brands.”

Yet, fewer than 60% of respondents said they’re investing in community engagement.

To make community-led growth work:

• Invest in developer champion programs
• Enable discussion forums (Slack, Discord, etc.)
• Foster content co-creation and feedback channels

What metrics matter?

When asked how they measure success, teams cited:

• Product usage (top metric)
• Onboarding completion rates
• Community activity & engagement
• Certification achievement
• Net revenue retention (NRR)

However, Sean cautioned against vanity metrics. Instead, “Tell the story of how your content impacts the developer journey—how fast they get value, how long they stay engaged, and how they advocate for your product.”

3 key shifts to close the developer adoption gap

Based on the data and discussion, the webinar ended with three key takeaways for teams:

1. ‍Shift from passive learning to active engagement. Move beyond docs and videos. Use interactive labs, real-world challenges, and guided sandboxes.

1. Build an ecosystem—not just a product. Prioritize community-led growth. Empower peer-to-peer learning and shared problem-solving.
2. Measure what matters. Define metrics that connect enablement to business impact. Track time-to-first-success, engagement depth, and community retention.

Top questions from the Q&A

1. What are some common mistakes in onboarding?

• No clear strategy or success metrics
• Too much passive content, not enough interaction
• Poor feedback infrastructure to resolve dev blockers quickly

2. What’s the first step to getting started with hands-on labs?

Start small. Hone your content before scaling. Choose a platform that supports real-world challenges, guided paths, and LMS/CRM integration. (Spoiler: Instruqt is purpose-built for this.)

3. How important is community in adoption?

Essential. Even the best onboarding content can’t address every edge case. Communities help fill knowledge gaps, provide fast answers, and create long-term product advocates.

Conclusion 

Developer adoption is more than an onboarding checkbox—it's a strategic imperative. As we heard in the webinar, the teams winning in 2025 are those creating hands-on, low-friction, and measurable experiences that developers love. Whether you're struggling with alignment, scaling your DevRel efforts, or simply looking to shorten time-to-value, the path forward is clear: enable developers to learn by doing.

‍Ready to see how Instruqt can help you close the developer adoption gap? Take a free, self-guided tour of Instruqt or book a demo to discover how immersive, interactive learning environments can accelerate onboarding, boost retention, and drive real business outcomes.