  Background: Collaboration among software engineers through face-to-face
discussions in teams has been promoted since the adoption of agile methods.
However, these discussions might demote the contribution of software engineers
who are introverts, possibly leading to sub-optimal solutions and creating work
environments that benefit extroverts. Objective: We aim to evaluate whether
providing software engineers with time to work individually and reason about a
collective problem is a setting that makes introverts more comfortable to
interact and contribute more, ultimately leading to better solutions. Method:
We plan to conduct a between-subjects study, with teams in a control group that
design a software architecture in a team discussion meeting and teams in a
treatment group in which subjects work individually before engaging in a
meeting. We will assess and compare the amount of contribution of introverts,
their subjective experiences, and the designed solutions. Limitations: As
extroverts will be present in both groups, we will not be able to conclude that
better solutions are solely due to the increased participation of introverts.
The analyses of their subjective experience and amount of contributions might
provide evidence to suggest the reasons for observed differences.
