How Are Socio-Psychological Methods Used in the Software Development Industry?
This panel brings together case studies and reflections on how insights from psychology, cognitive science, and anthropology are shaping software development practices. By looking at programming language design, developer empathy, and research-driven product innovation, the session invites PPIG attendees to reconsider the boundaries between empirical research and everyday industry work. The panel aims to offer fresh perspectives on how socio-psychological methods can inform the tools and processes developers use—and how developers, in turn, can inspire new research questions.
Talk 1: Academic Research Contributions to Software Development: Successes and Challenges from the Human-AI Experience Team
Members of the Human-AI experience team will present on the practical application of academic research in software development. This talk will highlight the team’s experiences, including both successful integrations and challenges encountered, as they strive to leverage research to inform and improve the development of new product features.
Talk 2: What is the role of the large-scale developer surveys
At this talk the Developer Ecosystem Survey will be presented - a survey that is meant to capture an annual snapshot of the developer world. The presenter will explain the methodology and goals of the study and will try to explain why it is necessary in the first place. She will also share one small part of the results related to the issue of mental health among developers.
Talk 3: Increasing Developer Empathy through User Integration in Product Teams
This presentation will share insights from a small-scale anthropological research study conducted by a UX researcher within JetBrains. The research explores the impact of inviting real users to product team gatherings, examining how this practice can foster increased developer empathy and improve the alignment of product development with user needs.
Talk 4: Bringing Cognitive Research into Language Design: The Case of Kotlin
This talk will present a case study from the Kotlin team, detailing efforts to apply cognitive science principles to the design of the Kotlin programming language. The presenter will discuss the challenges and successes of integrating cognitive research findings to enhance the language’s naturalness and usability for programmers.