Effects of Coding Norm Violations on Visual Effort, Trustworthiness Perceptions, and Reuse Intentions

Abstract

Efficient evaluation strategies are essential when reviewing computer code for potential reuse. Previous researchers have examined the factors that influence these assessments. However, researchers have yet to empirically demonstrate the direct influence of the specific factors that affect visual/cognitive effort, which can be inferred through eye tracking metrics. Programmers were recruited to complete a Java code review task, providing evaluations for a code file’s trustworthiness and reusability after various errors had been introduced to the file’s source reputation, readability, and organization. Analyses of the eye-tracking data revealed increases in fixation counts and durations for manipulated code. An exploratory analysis of areas containing readability and organization errors revealed misuses of case and misuses of declarations garnered the most attention from participants relative to the rest of the code. Implications of the current study extend to recommendations for writing code that is easily reusable by decreasing the visual effort needed for code review.