Measuring Developers' Episodic Experience of Low-Code Development Platforms

Developer Experience (DX) is being emphasized in recent research, either on the topic of understanding its concepts or measurements. It refers to how developers think and feel as they work towards a goal in the software development environment. Episodic experience is the term used to describe the experience that arises over a period of minutes or hours. Just as the user experience is based on the use of the product, DX is often linked to the development tools. However, measuring developers’ episodic experience when using software development products for a particular task in a given situation has not been specifically studied. In addition, Low-code Development Platforms (LCDPs) are becoming popular in recent years with the aim of allowing users to build applications easily and efficiently. The users of LCDP can be seen as special developers, with or without professional programming experience. This thesis presents a questionnaire to measure developers’ episodic experience of a specific LCDP with various experience items based on literature review and Delphi study with experts knowledgeable about DX. Observational task-based test was used to validate how it correlated with different aspects of the platform. The role of prior backgrounds in this context was also investigated. Using descriptive and statistical methods, I found significant differences in the prediction of tool quality and task difficulty across experience items. I also compared these items in groups with similar backgrounds. The results of the study indicated the experience of programming, LCDP, and design showed various impacts on the performance and feelings of developers. Based on the results of the study, the questionnaire with experience items is able to make some recommendations for the design of LCDPs. The thesis also provides some insights for further research in this area