Towards an Understanding of Developer Experience-Driven Transparency in Software Ecosystems

2025-09-03

AI Summary

In software ecosystems (SECOs), developer experience (DX) is increasingly critical, yet the role of transparency in shaping DX lacks systematic theoretical grounding. Addressing this gap, we adopt a developer-centric perspective to propose SECO-TransDX—the first conceptual model explicating how technical, social, and organizational factors jointly influence developers’ perception of transparency and their interplay. We synthesize prior literature to formulate an initial framework, then employ a multi-round Delphi study involving academic and industry experts to refine and consolidate 63 relevant constructs, achieving consensus on a novel “DX-driven transparency” paradigm. The resulting model offers a theoretically grounded, actionable tool for SECO governance, enabling the design of trustworthy, equitable, and sustainable platforms that enhance developer trust and long-term engagement. (149 words)

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Transparent, Interpretable, Explainable ML
• Computer Vision: Interpretability, Explainability, and Transparency
• Natural Language Processing: Ethics — Bias, Fairness, Transparency & Privacy

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization
• Responsible Web: Algorithmic accountability and transparency on the web

Abstract

Software ecosystems (SECO) have become a dominant paradigm in the software industry, enabling third-party developers to co-create value through complementary components and services. While Developer Experience (DX) is increasingly recognized as critical for sustainable SECO, transparency remains an underexplored factor shaping how developers perceive and interact with ecosystems. Existing studies acknowledge transparency as essential for trust, fairness, and engagement, yet its relationship with DX has not been systematically conceptualized. Hence, this work aims to advance the understanding of transparency in SECO from a developer-centered perspective. To this end, we propose SECO-TransDX (Transparency in Software Ecosystems from a Developer Experience Perspective), a conceptual model that introduces the notion of DX-driven transparency. The model identifies 63 interrelated concepts, including conditioning factors, ecosystem procedures, artifacts, and relational dynamics that influence how transparency is perceived and constructed during developer interactions. SECO-TransDX was built upon prior research and refined through a Delphi study with experts from academia and industry. It offers a structured lens to examine how transparency mediates DX across technical, social, and organizational layers. For researchers, it lays the groundwork for future studies and tool development; for practitioners, it supports the design of trustworthy, developer-centered platforms that improve transparency and foster long-term engagement in SECO.

Problem

• Understanding transparency's role in developer experience within software ecosystems
• Conceptualizing DX-driven transparency through a structured model
• Examining how transparency mediates developer interactions across ecosystem layers

Innovation

• Conceptual model for DX-driven transparency
• Identifies 63 interrelated ecosystem concepts
• Refined through Delphi study with experts