[AISWorld] Research survey: How app developers work

[Dirk van der Linden]

Dear colleagues,

We are currently working on a project to better understand how people
around the world create apps for mobile platforms. Our goal is to further
understanding and support for app developers (i.e., Android, iOS) in all
stages of software development: from design and coding to publishing and
popularising your software (and everything that falls inbetween).

I would like to invite you to share (and participate in) the survey below
with your colleagues and students who have developed and published apps. We
intend to get a better picture of how app developers from all walks of life
work, in order to develop more personalized support (like guidelines,
tools, and so on). *Participants are eligible to enter a prize-draw to win
one of multiple Fossil smartwatches for him or her!*

The survey can be accessed through this link:
https://lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bBKSYV4Hd3ftIDr

*General remark*: Participation is voluntary and anonymous, and we don’t
collect any personal information. If you participate in the prize draw (see
Reward below), you will be asked to provide an email address which will be
temporarily stored and securely deleted after completion of the prize draw.

*Who are we*: The research is being conducted by Dirk van der Linden
(University of Bristol) and colleagues from Lancaster University and The
Open University. This research is academic in nature, and not done for any
commercial organizations/benefits.

*Target audience*: mobile software/app developers, who have developed and
released at least 1 app in a mobile store (e.g., Google Play, Apple App
Store)

*Goal*: to understand what actions app developers typically take (and why)
in different stages of software development, e.g., code writing, help
seeking, publishing, popularizing

*Questions in the survey:* the survey includes a number of professional
demographic questions (how you develop software, what tools you use, etc.)
to establish a(n anonymous) profile of a developer, and 6 tasks in which
you will be asked to rank, or chose a limited number of actions you can
take for a typical stage in software development.

*Reward*: if you complete the survey, you may participate in a prize draw
to win a Fossil smart watch for him or her. This requires you to give us an
email address to contact after closure of the survey. The email addresses
will be stored temporarily, separate from the survey data, and securely
deleted after the prize draw is held.

Best regards,
Dr. Dirk van der Linden
*Senior Research Associate @ Bristol Cyber Security Group*
Department of Computer Science
University of Bristol
*Website*: www.dirkvanderlinden.eu