Identifying inhibitors and motivatorsfor writing code with high readabilityand what we can do about it : A study of motivation to write code with highreadability

Abstract: As time passes, more and more code is written, and as companies owna large quantity of code, the importance of readable and easy-to-understand codeincreases. It is well known that a developer's time is spent primarily on reading and understanding source code. This study aims to answer the questions: do students and professionals in software development agree on the current state-of-the-art of source code readability, what inhibits developers from writing code with high readability, and what activities they perceive to help them write code with high readability. In this context, readability is defined as the ease with which a person can read, understand, and comprehend source code, and the effort it takes to understand the logic, relations, cohesion, and ideas behind the code. A survey was distributed by email and social media to people working in the field. The respondents were asked to answer questions about readability and three self-evaluating questions about how they work with code. Responses were analyzed and compared to the state-of-the-art in readability of source code.  A literature study was performed to determine the current state-of-the-art of source code readability.The survey result showed considerable support for the findings of the literature review. The survey results also revealed that the most significant inhibitors for writing code with high readability are connected to lack of time, and the most recognized method of increasing readability is code reviews.