How Software Development Professionals Perceive the Use of Code Reviewer Recommendation Systems

Selecting a code reviewer within a software development project is essential to the software development process. Code Reviewer Recommendation Systems (CRRSs) have been developed to reduce cognitive load and make decision-making faster and more efficient. This study provides a step toward understanding and improving the effectiveness of CRRSs by improving knowledge about their key aspects and the specific information needs of individuals involved in using them. We surveyed over 90 software project members to understand the important and missing features of CRRSs. We found that those who use AI for code recommendation are more likely to use a code reviewer recommendation system and that those who do not use a CRRS feel its adoption would add unnecessary complexity to their software development process. Most respondents felt positive about using a CRRS regarding coverage of code review tasks, precision of recommendations, and ease of use. However, more work is needed to create CRRSs that fit different team and organization sizes, provide more accurate results and broader scenario coverage, have diverse recommendations, and improve adaptability to coding styles.