Identifying Factors Contributing to ``Bad Days'' for Software Developers: A Mixed-Methods Study
Software development is a dynamic activity that requires engineers to work effectively with tools, processes, and collaborative teams. As a result, the presence of friction can significantly hinder productivity, increase frustration, and contribute to low morale among developers. By contrast, higher satisfaction levels are positively correlated with higher levels of perceived productivity. Hence, understanding the factors that cause bad experiences for developers is critical for fostering a positive and productive engineering environment. In this research, we employed a mixed-method approach, including interviews, surveys, diary studies, and analysis of developer telemetry data to uncover and triangulate common factors that cause “bad days” for developers. The interviews involved 22 developers across different levels and roles. The survey captured the perception of 214 developers about factors that cause them to have “bad days”, their frequency, and their impact on job satisfaction. The daily diary study engaged 79 developers for 30 days to document factors that caused “bad days” in the moment. We examined the telemetry signals of 131 consenting participants to validate the impact of bad developer experience using system data. Findings from our research revealed factors that cause ``bad days'' for developers and significantly impact their work and well-being. We discuss the implications of these findings and suggest future work.
Wed 30 AprDisplayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change
11:00 - 12:30 | Human and Social Process 1SE In Practice (SEIP) / New Ideas and Emerging Results (NIER) / Journal-first Papers at 207 Chair(s): Hausi Müller University of Victoria | ||
11:00 15mTalk | Toward a Theory on Programmer's Block Inspired by Writer's Block Journal-first Papers Belinda Schantong Chemnitz University of Technology, Norbert Siegmund Leipzig University, Janet Siegmund Chemnitz University of Technology | ||
11:15 15mTalk | Digital Twins for Software Engineering Processes New Ideas and Emerging Results (NIER) Robin Kimmel University of Stuttgart, Judith Michael University of Regensburg, Andreas Wortmann University of Stuttgart, Jingxi Zhang University of Stuttgart | ||
11:30 15mTalk | Discovering Ideologies of the Open Source Software Movement New Ideas and Emerging Results (NIER) Yang Yue California State University San Marcos, Yi Wang Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, David Redmiles University of California, Irvine | ||
11:45 15mTalk | Identifying Factors Contributing to ``Bad Days'' for Software Developers: A Mixed-Methods Study SE In Practice (SEIP) Ike Obi Purdue University, West Lafayette, Jenna L. Butler Microsoft Research, Sankeerti Haniyur Microsoft Corporation, Brian Hassan Microsoft Corporation, Margaret-Anne Storey University of Victoria, Brendan Murphy Microsoft Corporation | ||
12:00 15mTalk | Time Warp: The Gap Between Developers’ Ideal vs Actual Workweeks in an AI-Driven EraAward Winner SE In Practice (SEIP) Sukrit Kumar Georgia Institute of Technology, Drishti Goel Microsoft, Thomas Zimmermann University of California, Irvine, Brian Houck Microsoft Research, B. Ashok Microsoft Research. India, Chetan Bansal Microsoft Research | ||
12:15 15mTalk | Wearables to measure developer experience at work SE In Practice (SEIP) Charlotte Brandebusemeyer Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Tobias Schimmer SAP Labs, Bert Arnrich Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam |