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R3. To remember syntactic details or frequently used functionality.
R4. To find examples to clarify how to implement functionality in a specific
language or how to implement an algorithm or data structure.
R5. To learn unfamiliar concepts.
R6. To fix a bug.
R7. To get ideas to implement a new system.
These studies form the starting point for our study.
13.3 Methods
We conducted a field study of 24 developers in 3 software development companies.
We observed them as they worked with particular attention to how and when they
searched for source code on the Web. We augmented these observations with fine-
grained data collected using a Web browser extension.
13.3.1 Field Sites
We had three field sites, one in Peru (Novatronic) and two in Southern California
(Health Connection and AppFolio).
Novatronic is a consulting company with 64 employees that develops transac-
tional software. Its clients are banks, telecommunication companies, the govern-
ment, and other firms located throughout the Americas. The company has achieved
CMMI level 3 and its processes are certified as ISO 9001-compliant. We contacted
the owners of Novatronic who agreed to participate in the study. One of the owners
and the company's product managers identified 25 developers who were coding at
the time of the study. Among these 25 developers, we randomly selected 12 develop-
ers to observe. Developers did not receive any compensation for their participation.
Health Connection is an open source health information technology company; its
system is used to securely exchange health information between health-care organi-
zations such as hospital, clinics, and laboratories. The company had approximately
45 employees working on various products. We are using a pseudonym for this com-
pany to protect its confidentiality. We contacted a Senior Software Engineer from
the company who agreed to participate in the study. He selected seven developers,
and four others volunteered to be observed. Developers did not receive any compen-
sation for their participation.
Finally, we also conducted one observation at AppFolio, which develops a
web-based application to manage rental properties, such as apartment complexes.
The company had around 120 employees. We contacted the Director of Software
Engineering who agreed to participate in the study. He identified one developer to
be observed, who did not receive any compensation for his participation.
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