Cat HicksNov 29, 2022
So here's one of the things I'm super interested in that's coming out of our recent pilot research with software teams: there's a big difference between "things that are hard, but we're good at solving them" and "things that are hard, in a way that absolutely kills our motivation."
Show threadShady JadeNov 29, 2022

@grimalkina Definitely feel the difference between those two!

The motivation killers for me are things like bad version control states, having to second-guess motives, being in the midst of code with massive technical debt, IT issues, inability to replicate. Basically, currently unavoidable confusion and/or lack of control.

But... something to improve what we have? A better algorithm, a better design, a better test? THERE IN A HEARTBEAT. Anything involving a whiteboard 😊

Show threadCat HicksNov 29, 2022
@lampjaded I think a lot about who gets "the joy of problem solving" and who gets it taken away from them, by what!
Show threadShady JadeNov 29, 2022

@grimalkina That's a fantastic topic to explore!

The unenjoyable problems aren't just issues in and of themselves, too; they're productivity-killers. I've seen other devs - and I'm sure they've seen me - just "fuzz out" and lean back trying to clear their head and get past the demotivation these roadblocks cause.

Unspoken costs of things that do not 'spark joy' but that we can't Marie Kondo away!

Show threadCat HicksNov 29, 2022
@lampjaded another thing we're thinking about in my lab is cadence. You can't just go from one experience back into flow and problem solving --sometimes you need to regroup and rest and recover your motivation. Allowing for this kind of recovery specifically might be one of the smartest fastest things managers can do to help work life feel better imho...
Show threadShady JadeNov 29, 2022

@grimalkina For big things, especially! There's ramp-up time where a network of understanding builds up - which is where technical debt can essentially overload working memory I *swear* - and it really seems like there needs to be a ramp down as well.

It's a lot like looking at programs running with a modest amount of RAM and slow disk. Exiting an app on a computer like that? SPIN spin spinspin spin spin.

Ah, maybe I'll just launch the next one now!

SPINS HARDER.

Show threadCat Hicks
@lampjaded ok this is fascinating because I'm thinking about the experience of "choosing not to solve tech debt" or "knowing you're creating tech debt for the future" in a way I've never quite thought of it before...as a kind of exhausting inhibition task... Of COURSE it creates a big mental load to have to self-monitor that way. Hmmm lots here to think about
Nov 29, 2022 at 8:31pmWeb
Show threadShady JadeNov 29, 2022

@grimalkina I'm sure there's also much to be said on the side about prefrontal and frontal cortex and the number of things one can juggle at the same time (the 5-9 items), and mental chunking, and how easy it can be to overload that system with too many loose ends, and just ONE extra loose end can make someone have to swap something in and out, losing concentration in the process.

I *think*. I can almost feel it happen, honestly.