  In this paper, we describe the research on how perceptual load can affect
programming performance in people with symptoms of Attention Deficit /
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We asked developers to complete the Barkley
Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale, which indicates the presence and
severity levels of ADHD symptoms. After that, participants solved mentally
active programming tasks (coding) and monotonous ones (debugging) in the
integrated development environment in high perceptual load modes (visually
noisy) and low perceptual load modes (visually clear). The development
environment was augmented with the plugin we wrote to track efficiency metrics,
i.e. time, speed, and activity. We found that the perceptual load does affect
programmers' efficiency. For mentally active tasks, the time of inserting the
first character was shorter and the overall speed was higher in the low
perceptual load mode. For monotonous tasks, the total time for the solution was
less for the low perceptual load mode. Also, we found that the effect of
perceptual load on programmers' efficiency differs between those with and
without ADHD symptoms. This effect has a specificity: depending on efficiency
measures and ADHD symptoms, one or another level of perceptual load might be
beneficial. Our findings support the idea of behavioral assessment of users for
providing appropriate accommodation for the workforce with special needs.
