Join us for the next breakfast seminar sponsored by LTH Profile Area: AI and Digitalization and ELLIIT Distinguished Lecture with LTH Honorary Doctor Margaret-Anne Storey.

For free breakfast at the seminar, please sign up here by May 15th.

Measuring the Unmeasurable: A Design Science Approach to Understanding and Improving Developer Productivity

Abstract:  Software development is undergoing a profound transformation, with AI rapidly changing how developers work, and collaborate with others. But how do we understand and measure productivity in a world where coding is shifting from writing to curating, from coordinating to orchestrating, and from creating to evaluating? Traditional research methods fail to capture the complexity of modern software work, overlooking the socio-technical, human, and organizational dimensions that shape developer experience.

In this talk, I will explore how design science and mixed methods research help us tackle this challenge, drawing from decades of studying developer productivity, experience, and collaboration. By blending quantitative insights with rich qualitative narratives, we can uncover the lived experiences of developers—what enables or hinders their success, how tools shape their work, and why diversity, inclusion, and well-being are essential to meaningful productivity.

Speaker Bio: Professor Margaret-Anne Storey, based at the University of Victoria, is a leading expert in the human and social aspects of software engineering. A former Lise Meitner Professor at Lund University, she has advanced socio-technical systems research and championed qualitative methods from the social sciences. Her work spans AI, remote work, user interaction, and gender issues, and has significantly shaped software engineering research and education at LTH.

Also see joint event for honorary doctors in science and technology on May 22nd, seminar in English.