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Expert Guide

Designing developer experience surveys

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for designing, launching, and analyzing developer experience surveys. It draws from lessons from helping hundreds of organizations implement effective DevEx measurement programs.

Designing developer experience surveys

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Executive summary

Leading technology companies like Google, Microsoft, and Spotify have long relied on surveys to measure and understand developer productivity. These surveys, which are typically run quarterly or semiannually across an organization’s developer population, provide leaders and teams with a comprehensive view of the developer experience (DevEx). However, designing, implementing, and analyzing developer surveys to collect reliable qualitative insights is difficult.

In this guide, we draw from our research team’s collective experience to explain the key elements of a well-run developer experience survey. It will guide you through each process step, from selecting topics and writing questions to analyzing and acting on the results.

About the author

Laura Tacho

Laura Tacho is CTO at DX, a developer intelligence platform, and an expert in improving developer productivity. She previously led teams at companies like CloudBees, Aula Education, and Nova Credit, and is a Docker Captain alumni. Laura has coached CTOs and other engineering leaders from startups to the Fortune 500, and also facilitates a popular course on metrics and engineering team performance.

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