# An Actionable Framework for Understanding and Improving Developer Experience

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.06352 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.06352/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 12 May 2022.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Knowledge Activation: AI Skills as the Institutional Knowledge Primitive for Agentic Software Development](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.14805/) (2026)
- [Building AI-Intensive Software with AI: Early Results and a Cautionary Tale on Measuring Development Cost](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.13730/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Developer experience is an important concern for software organizations as enhancing developer experience improves productivity, satisfaction, engagement and retention. We set out to understand what affects developer experience through semi-structured interviews with 21 developers from industry, which we transcribed and iteratively coded. Our findings elucidate factors that affect developer experience and characteristics that influence their respective importance to individual developers. We also identify strategies employed by individuals and teams to improve developer experience and the barriers that stand in their way. Lastly, we describe the coping mechanisms of developers when developer experience cannot be sufficiently improved. Our findings result in the DX Framework, an actionable conceptual framework for understanding and improving developer experience. The DX Framework provides a go-to reference for organizations that want to enable more productive and effective work environments for their developers.