Cheat Code, Combo, or Power-Up: Why We Choose Someone Else’s Code

Much like playing an open world game, each of us approaches a new development challenge with different skill levels, knowledge, and philosophies. It may seem like a person starting their first coding project has very little in common with a seasoned developer, but in fact, we are all here because we see the value in using developer tools we have not written ourselves. We’ll discuss how we, as players of this game, choose from the tools available based on their strengths (value) and weaknesses (risk) relative to our own skills and ability to weild these tools. We’ll explore how these decisions change as players level up, or face different challenges. By discussing skill, value, and risk instead of code, we can gain empathy and understanding for the decisions of our fellow players.

Speaker

• Michelle Schulp