The software industry lacks diversity. Recent research has theorised that software development tools can have inbuilt biases, making them easier to use for people who think in a certain way. For example, GitHub, a commonly used software tool, has been found to have missing information, unclear terminology, and unexplained processes. This can make GitHub non-intuitive for people with process-oriented learning styles as they prefer to have complete information before starting a task.
This project will select a common software development tool or practice and investigate potential inbuilt biases in-depth by designing a lab experiment.
Undergraduate
A set of biases in the software tool or practice will be identified.
A set of recommended changes to the selected software tool or practice will be derived through this investigation.
None
HASEL (405.662, Lab)