What the study found
The study found that professional debugging is a structured, iterative diagnostic process. Programmers update a mental model of the system, meaning an internal understanding of how the code works, to guide what information they gather next.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that their grounded theory surfaces the human-centered dimensions of debugging. They say this has implications for tool design and software engineering education.
What the researchers tested
The researchers used a grounded theory approach, which is a qualitative method for building theory from observed behavior. They observed seven professional developers and five professional live-coding streamers working on 17 debugging tasks in their own codebases.
What worked and what didn't
Developers gathered information by alternating between navigation and execution strategies. They used forward and backward tracing modes of reasoning, and adapted these approaches to codebase context, complexity, and familiarity. They also gathered external resources to complement code-based evidence, and their experience helped them systematically construct a mental model.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe specific limitations of the study. The findings are based on 17 debugging tasks in participants' own codebases and on the observed participants included in the study.
Key points
- Debugging is described as a structured, iterative diagnostic process.
- Developers update a mental model of the system while debugging.
- Information gathering alternates between navigation and execution strategies.
- Reasoning includes forward and backward tracing modes.
- External resources are used alongside code-based evidence.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Professional debugging is an iterative diagnostic process
- Authors:
- Haolin Li, Michael Coblenz
- Institutions:
- University of California San Diego, University of California San Diego
- Publication date:
- 2026-06-30
- DOI:
- 10.1145/3797077
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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