  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.
