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Expertise in professional software design: a process study

S Sonnentag1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ao_sonnentag@macmail.psy.uva.nl

The Journal of Applied Psychology
|November 7, 1998
PubMed
Summary

High-performing software designers use local planning and feedback processing. Moderate performers focus on requirements analysis and irrelevant thoughts, with experience not explaining performance differences.

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Area of Science:

  • Software Engineering
  • Cognitive Science
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Understanding the cognitive processes underlying effective software design is crucial for improving developer performance.
  • Identifying distinct strategies employed by high versus moderate performers can inform training and best practices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the cognitive strategies and behaviors of high-performing versus moderate-performing software designers during a design task.
  • To determine if differences in performance are related to experience level or specific task-related cognitions.

Main Methods:

  • Forty professional software designers participated in a software design task.
  • High performers were identified via peer nomination and design performance metrics.

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  • Verbal protocol analysis was used to compare the cognitive processes of 12 high and 12 moderate performers.

    • Main Results:

    • High performers utilized local planning and more feedback processing.
    • Moderate performers focused on requirements analysis and task-irrelevant cognitions.
    • No significant differences in experience were found between performance groups.

    Conclusions:

    • Software design expertise is characterized by specific cognitive strategies rather than years of experience.
    • Local planning and effective feedback integration are key differentiators for high software design performance.
    • Future interventions should focus on cultivating these strategic approaches in designers.