Two Sides of the Same Coin: Software Developers' Perceptions of Task Switching and Task Interruption

TL;DR

This study explores software developers' perceptions of task switching and interruption, revealing that both are perceived as similarly disruptive, with significant cognitive costs impacting productivity and flow.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into developers' perceptions of task switching versus interruptions, highlighting their similarities and effects on productivity.

Findings

Developers perceive task switching and interruptions as similarly disruptive.

High cognitive costs are associated with frequent task switching.

Interruptions from meetings also significantly impact developer flow.

Abstract

In the constantly evolving world of software development, switching back and forth between tasks has become the norm. While task switching often allows developers to perform tasks effectively and may increase creativity via the flexible pathway, there are also consequences to frequent task-switching. For high-momentum tasks like software development, "flow", the highly productive state of concentration, is paramount. Each switch distracts the developers' flow, requiring them to switch mental state and an additional immersion period to get back into the flow. However, the wasted time due to time fragmentation caused by task switching is largely invisible and unnoticed by developers and managers. We conducted a survey with 141 software developers to investigate their perceptions of differences between task switching and task interruption and to explore whether they perceive task switchings as disruptive as interruptions. We found that practitioners perceive considerable similarities between the disruptiveness of task switching (either planned or unplanned) and random interruptions. The high level of cognitive cost and low performance are the main consequences of task switching articulated by our respondents. Our findings broaden the understanding of flow change among software practitioners in terms of the characteristics and categories of disruptive switches as well as the consequences of interruptions caused by daily stand-up meetings.