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ICSE 2021
Mon 17 May - Sat 5 June 2021

Software developers solve a diverse and wide range of problems. While software engineering research often focuses on tools to support this problem solving, the strategies that developers use to solve problems are at least as important. In this paper, we offer a novel approach for enabling developers to follow explicit programming strategies that describe how an expert tackles a common programming problem. We define explicit programming strategies, grounding our definition in prior work both within software engineering and in other professions which have adopted more explicit procedures for problem solving. We then present a novel notation called Roboto and a novel strategy tracker tool that explicitly represent programming strategies and frame executing strategies as a collaborative effort between human abilities to make decisions and computer abilities to structure process and persist information. In a formative evaluation, 28 software developers of varying expertise completed a design task and a debugging task. We found that, compared to developers who are free to choose their own strategies, developers given explicit strategies experienced their work as more organized, systematic, and predictable, but also more constrained. Developers using explicit strategies were objectively more successful at the design and debugging tasks. We discuss the implications of Roboto and these findings, envisioning a thriving ecosystem of explicit strategies that accelerate and improve developers’ programming problem solving.

Tue 25 May

Displayed time zone: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna change

19:35 - 20:55
1.5.2. Developers: Observational StudiesSEIP - Software Engineering in Practice / Journal-First Papers / Technical Track at Blended Sessions Room 2 +12h
Chair(s): Carolyn Seaman University of Maryland Baltimore County
19:35
20m
Paper
What Leads to a Confirmatory or Disconfirmatory Behaviour of Software Testers?Journal-First
Journal-First Papers
Iflaah Salman University of Oulu, Pilar Rodriguez Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Burak Turhan Monash University, Ayse Tosun Istanbul Technical University, Arda Gureller Ericsson
Pre-print Media Attached
19:55
20m
Paper
An interview study of how developers use execution logs in embedded software engineeringSEIP
SEIP - Software Engineering in Practice
Nan Yang Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, Pieter Cuijpers Eindhoven University of Technology, Ramon Schiffelers Eindhoven University of Technology and ASML, the Netherlands, Johan Lukkien Eindhoven University of Technology, Alexander Serebrenik Eindhoven University of Technology
Pre-print Media Attached
20:15
20m
Paper
Relating Reading, Visualization, and Coding for New Programmers: A Neuroimaging StudyTechnical Track
Technical Track
Madeline Endres University of Michigan, Zachary Karas University of Michigan, Xiaosu Hu University of Michigan, Ioulia Kovelman University of Michigan, Westley Weimer University of Michigan
Pre-print Media Attached
20:35
20m
Paper
Explicit Programming StrategiesJournal-First
Journal-First Papers
Thomas LaToza George Mason University, Maryam Arab George Mason University, Dastyni Loksa Towson University, Amy Ko University of Washington
Link to publication Pre-print Media Attached

Wed 26 May

Displayed time zone: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna change

07:35 - 08:55
07:35
20m
Paper
What Leads to a Confirmatory or Disconfirmatory Behaviour of Software Testers?Journal-First
Journal-First Papers
Iflaah Salman University of Oulu, Pilar Rodriguez Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Burak Turhan Monash University, Ayse Tosun Istanbul Technical University, Arda Gureller Ericsson
Pre-print Media Attached
07:55
20m
Paper
An interview study of how developers use execution logs in embedded software engineeringSEIP
SEIP - Software Engineering in Practice
Nan Yang Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, Pieter Cuijpers Eindhoven University of Technology, Ramon Schiffelers Eindhoven University of Technology and ASML, the Netherlands, Johan Lukkien Eindhoven University of Technology, Alexander Serebrenik Eindhoven University of Technology
Pre-print Media Attached
08:15
20m
Paper
Relating Reading, Visualization, and Coding for New Programmers: A Neuroimaging StudyTechnical Track
Technical Track
Madeline Endres University of Michigan, Zachary Karas University of Michigan, Xiaosu Hu University of Michigan, Ioulia Kovelman University of Michigan, Westley Weimer University of Michigan
Pre-print Media Attached
08:35
20m
Paper
Explicit Programming StrategiesJournal-First
Journal-First Papers
Thomas LaToza George Mason University, Maryam Arab George Mason University, Dastyni Loksa Towson University, Amy Ko University of Washington
Link to publication Pre-print Media Attached