Discussion on:

Poll: Does office environment matter to developers?

There used to be time when I believed it does not matter where you are, once you are engaged into project, you can work at Grand Central, if you have to. It is true with a lot of developers, majority of which are also workaholics. The thing is, majority of us are also introverts - and productivity will go through the roof if the environment is set up to accommodate this fact. Promote quieter, more individualized space is less of a face-to-face and more of a face-to-screen setup (not to be confused with desire to be stuffed into a tiny faceless cubicle). Some may scuff this thought as promotion of anti-social behaviors however the question was if environment matters to development. It does, even when we think it does not.

In that a proper setting helps me get and maintain focus. Another major factor is in how much control I have to rearrange said environment. Some setups are more productive than others depending on what I am trying to accomplish (and not all of it relates to expanding territory! )

Then I could see incoming nerf darts instead of getting surprise attacked.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/2940/

or turn a webcam into an early warning system with motion sensing

I bought one of those little convex mirrors from an auto parts store - the ones that are made to be stuck on your rear view mirror to help you see in your blind spot - and stuck it on the corner of my monitor. An early warning system with motion detectors and flashing lights and sirens is what I would love to have but doubt that I could get away with it.

Sounds like your productivity is going to be below par.

Wasnt this subject covered in a couple of different books like The Mythical Man Month (Frederick Brooks) and Peopleware (Demarco and Lister)?

In the development environments that I have worked and managed, I felt the work environment was important. I found that development work is focus work and developers need to concentrate. Nothing derailed the work like continuous disruptions such as placing the developers in cubicles within the call center or next to a noisy break room, two situations that I have encountered and rectified. Additionally, the developers need to be comfortable since many will work for hours in their space and they should be given the latitude to make that space comfortable and their own.

I have been coding for 18 years and have worked in most programming environments. From open bullpen to cubes to private office to home office. Some places were like dungeons, others rather swanky(for a dev environment anyway), Each had pros and cons. I agree with the authors comment on being distraction free. I feel the private office (even if it is a converted broom closet), or home office environment is best fo getting in the zone. Nothing is worse for productivity than cubes or open bull pens. Both are good for knowing everything that is going on in the company and co-workers personal lives, but they offer maximum distraction.

Sunlight is nice, but depending on the angle of setup can either be in your eyes or glaring off your monitor. Our developers actually like lower level light in their workspace so you might want to at least make sure there are very adaptable blinds.

Apparently, scientists are going to have to redo all the behavioral experiments with mice. Some one discovered that mice act differently depending on the size and shape of the cage they are in.

If we think we can learn about behavior from mice, then we need to pay attention to the environment. If you don't think mice are applicable, then simply look up experiments on how color schemes affect human thought processes,

I and the other developers have small, broom closet-sized offices. Most have the flourescent lights turned off and have incandescent desk lamps and dark shades on the East-facing windows to block out the sun and glare from cars in the parking lot.

We're a quiet bunch. Folks from other departments walk through on occasion and remark on how quiet it is. I couldn't work in their department's areas, as they're always talking to each other or on the phone, playing music, etc.

Check out # 8. I could not agree more. Now that I have my own office my productivity and quality of code have improved immensely now that I can actually focus.
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000043.html

saying it like it is. Now then planners...... are you actually listening? Office clang and clatter is fine when concentration requirements are low, like when managing, or secretarying, or buying/selling, duping or screwing customers over, but coders need quiet, exclusive space. Period.