Dr. Carol Lee discusses code review anxiety and strategies to manage it, emphasizing the importance of feedback and creating a supportive environment for developers. The podcast explores imposter syndrome, negative feedback, and the impact of anxiety on software development teams. It also highlights the value of empathy and emotional expression in code reviews for fostering a positive developer culture.
Understanding and supporting developer well-being is crucial in improving professional and personal lives.
Addressing code review anxiety through practical interventions can create a psychologically safe environment for developers.
Deep dives
Background and Motivation for Research on Code Review Anxiety
Dr. Carol Lee, a principal research scientist at the Developer Success Lab, delves into her background in clinical psychology, highlighting the need to understand and support the well-being of developers. Her curiosity about the people behind software sparked her interest in studying developer experience and well-being to improve their professional and personal lives.
Understanding Code Review Process and Anxiety
The podcast explores the concept of code reviews, where developers review each other's code to ensure quality and security while promoting knowledge sharing and team cohesion. Code reviews not only serve as a technical evaluation but also as a social and community-building opportunity, fostering learning and mentorship among team members.
Impacts of Code Review Anxiety and Strategies for Improvement
Code review anxiety can lead to avoidance, procrastination, and reduced productivity, affecting software development timelines and team dynamics. Dr. Carol Lee's research emphasizes the importance of addressing code review anxiety through practical interventions, such as expressing feelings during feedback requests and providing supportive and constructive feedback to create a psychologically safe environment for developers.
Carol is an applied clinical and intervention scientist: she develops and tests cognitive, behavioral, and social interventions that activate key mechanisms to elicit change. Learn more about understanding and mitigating code review anxiety (the full version of her article is here).