12.7. What Do Developers Really Want? The ideas in this section are taken from informal polls of colleagues at different companies and from my own observations of any number of small frustrations that have become larger problems in various projects that I have worked on. You may object that chairs and coffeemakers are expected parts of a work environment, not rewards, but there's a world of difference between the basic and the exceptional versions of both of them. Every one of the ideas here helps people feel happier about working on a project and, in my opinion, they're all much better rewards than boring coffee mugs and T-shirts:
Not too many interruptions -
The actions of writing code, tests, and some kinds of documentation have a startup effort associated with remembering how the different pieces work together. Every interruption means that time has to be spent getting back into the task. Too many meetings, noisy telephone calls, long hallway conversations, or mobile phones left on desks can all interrupt developers. Interruptions may not always be from other people: this also applies when builds take long enough for a developer to become distracted by the latest news on Slashdot.
Fast connections -
Finding examples of how to use a subtle language construct, other peoples' diagnoses of the error messages that you're seeing, documentation for installing and using a new toolall these activities are greatly enhanced with a good Internet connection. A slow connection also allows people to get distracted.
Ergonomic peripherals -
The amount of painful damage to peoples' wrists in the software industry from using poor and badly placed keyboards is absolutely incredible. The cost of a good keyboard tray, one that can be moved up and down (in and out is really just for convenience), is under $200. There are also numerous ergonomic keyboards available for under $200.
Good monitors -
Flickering or dim monitors are distracting and tiring for people's eyes. Flat-screen monitors are no longer as expensive as they once were, and they take up less desktop space, too. Small screen sizes mean that more time is spent closing and opening windows or moving them around, and it feels like you're working through a keyhole. As an aside, it's just basic politeness not to touch other people's monitorsjust as you wouldn't smear someone's glasses or their car's rearview mirror.
Good chairs -
Good back support is essential, as is adjustable height. Surfaces and material should be just soft enough and breathable. Some people find armrests on chairs interfere with using a mouse, so armrests should be detachable. Chairs should not be covered with any material that generates large amounts of static electricity, such as nylon.
No drafts -
Air conditioning vents should not blow cold air down onto people, because drafts are distracting.
Personal disk space -
Many people listen to music while they work and need a place to keep their MP3 files. Space on a server can let them listen to music from different machines. The backup policy on this disk space can be different from that on other servers, and disk quotas can be imposed. Many developers find that being allowed time and disk space to work on personal projects for a few hours a week helps keep them stimulated about their main project.
Kitchen -
Soda machines, coffeemakers, microwaves, and refrigerators are all useful for finding the energy to focus on developing code. Kitchens are also places where people talk, so a whiteboard is a good addition to the kitchen.
Low effort for background tasks -
There are things that project members just shouldn't have to waste their time on. Filling in forms for office supplies is one. Repeated issues with basic office cleaning and maintenance is another. Small frustrations can become focal points for irritation about other aspects of a project, and then they become regular distractions.
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