What affects the choice of a JavaScript framework : Interviews with developers

Abstract: In recent years frameworks for JavaScript has become a large part of web development. There has been a lot of discussion between developers which framework to use when developing a project since there is a large pool of frameworks to choose from. This paper aims to find out what factors affects the choice of framework according to web developers in the business. The earlier studies found on the topic of JavaScript frameworks focuses on the technical aspects while this study will focus on researching the pragmatic internal and external factors that affects the choice of framework. This will contribute with a different view to the field in contrast to the existing technical studies. To find answers to the research question qualitative interviews with web developers at different companies were conducted. 5 companies agreed to participate, and a total of 8 web developers were interviewed. The interviews were recorded and later transcribed. The results were analyzed through a thematic analysis. By analyzing the results several different factors were found, and by finding connections in between them they were then categorized into different themes. The themes found was demand, usability, community and reputation. Through the discussion of the findings it was found that the factors influencing the choice of framework can vary depending on if it is a personal project or a larger project at a company. For personal projects user gratification was major factor, while in companies the ability to collaborate was one of the main factors. To answer the purpose of the study the choice of framework depends on who is using it, what kind of requirements a project has, the resources of a company, and the locations demands. Therefore, different frameworks can be suitable for different situations.