Cognitive Load Drivers in Large Scale Software Development

Software engineers handle a lot of information in their daily work. We explore how software engineers interact with information management systems/tools, and to what extent these systems expose users to increased cognitive load. We reviewed the literature of cognitive aspects, relevant for software engineering, and performed an exploratory case study on how software engineers perceive information systems. Data was collected through five semistructured interviews. We present empirical evidence of the presence of cognitive load drivers, as a consequence of tool use in large scale software engineering.