Most companies would agree that the world would be a better place if devs were happier, more efficient and less frustrated with their day-to-day processes and tools.

Devs make up a large proportion of any tech company’s delivery team – most companies have four developers for every product manager, business analyst or QA specialist. So making devs happy means making a large proportion of your workforce happy too.

However recent research shows that less than half of developers think their organisation prioritises developer experience.

That means most companies aren’t just missing a chance to make developers’ lives easier.

They’re missing out on a real competitive advantage. Not to mention the impact on retention. Most devs will tell you that smooth processes, investment in proper tools and a feeling of fulfilment or purpose in their work make them much more likely to stay in a job.

When developers spend less time on inefficient processes or wrestling with inefficient tools, they have more time to focus on work that really adds value. And having time for that deep work could increase productivity by as much as 50%.

Crucially, our own research shows that this spike in productivity doesn’t mean devs have to sacrifice quality. In fact, AI could even improve the quality of dev outputs: Independent reviews found that the quality of some outputs improved by up to 51.56%.

Equally, making day-to-day working life smoother for developers improves morale and is likely to reduce dev team turnover.

And, most importantly, good DevEx is more accessible than ever – and becoming more affordable than ever too.

We’re seeing an influx of new AI tools entering the market that can make developers’ lives significantly easier. They can’t solve everything – but they can make a huge difference.

In other words, companies should be more motivated than ever to improve their DevEx.

Let’s take a look at the most common challenges in DevEx and how AI can help to solve them.

How can AI improve DevEx?

Microsoft defines developer experience as “how easy or difficult it is for a developer to perform essential tasks needed to implement a change”.

In other words, your DevEx is defined by your team’s ability to do the things that make up an average dev’s working life: build, test, deploy and debug.

In general, DevEx can be improved by focusing on two core areas – and AI can play an important part in both of them.

Creating more efficient processes

Code reviews, testing and deployment are all important tasks – but very few devs would argue that they’re fulfilling, or that they require intense focus and problem-solving skills.

That’s why adopting continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) is often the backbone of many DevEx strategies. By adopting a CI/CD approach that automates key processes, you can make sure that any changes made to your code are automatically tested and pushed out – which helps you iterate faster, experiment more freely and take some of the most mind-numbing tasks off your people’s to-do lists.

How can AI help?

AI is good at many things – but it’s excellent at handling dull, repetitive tasks that require absolute precision.

Which makes it perfect for supporting CI/CD – and many of the tasks that sap devs’ energy and take up too much of their time.

Tools like GitHub Copilot, for example, can generate boilerplate code or “autocomplete” code, claiming to make coding 55% faster. Its accuracy can vary, so it’s important to double-check work and avoid relying on it too heavily, but it can be incredibly powerful for simpler coding tasks.

Meanwhile, Gemini Cloud Assist analyses system logs and performance data to help you get to the bottom of errors without forcing you to comb through hundreds of lines of code.

Investing in tools like these can have an enormous impact. GitHub research shows that developers who have intuitive processes report feeling 50% more innovative, while those who find their work engaging feel 30% more productive.

Our own research backs this claim: After some basic AI training, product engineering teams at CreateFuture completed key tasks significantly faster when using AI. The time taken for:

• Unit test writing fell by 39.61%
• Modernising code fell by 31.84%
• Feature build fell by 39.85%
• Code conversion fell by 55.64%

Supporting collaboration

The best dev teams are built on shared knowledge, shared support and shared goals.

But many dev teams simply don’t have the tools to support this kind of collaboration. Especially as projects grow larger and more complex. Also, manually recording every change, updating documentation or typing up feedback from asynchronous code reviews often takes far too much time and effort.

How can AI help?

In this area, AI is most powerful for its ability to summarise and distribute information. It takes the burden off devs to remember every word said in every meeting, or every tweak they made to every line of code.

Tools like DocuWriter.ai, for example, automatically generate and update documentation, making sure it stays neat, tidy and up to date with minimal effort required from devs. AI can help make reading documentation easier too – some teams set up chatbots to dig out important information in documentation, saving devs hours of hunting and “ctrl-F-ing”.

Devs can even use AI to generate summaries of their code changes, so they don’t have to waste time retracing their steps and finding the best phrasing.

Culture is the key to DevEx transformation

These use cases are powerful – but improving the dev experience isn’t just about investing in AI tools.  

DevEx is inherently shaped by company culture. It’s affected by your devs’ attitude to their work, their processes and – most importantly – their ability to use the tools you give them effectively.

When we tested the impact of AI tools on product engineering tasks, we generally found that even a small amount of dedicated training increased the impact of AI on both quality and speed.

In other words, culture is key.

To create true transformation, devs need to be backed by two things:

• Training, to ensure they know how to use AI tools effectively. At CreateFuture, we’re providing our people with general “AI for all” training that gets them to grips with the basics, as well as more specific role-based AI training.
• A culture that supports AI transformation, so they know that they’re allowed to experiment and that they have the space to share ideas and insights. Creating this culture at CreateFuture has meant everything from establishing “AI champions” to getting buy-in from middle management and the leadership team.

Simpler, smoother and less stressful: AI is revolutionising the dev experience

The developer experience is finally getting the attention it deserves.

Until now, the challenge has often been taking the next step. Justifying the budget required to iron out inefficient processes and free up dev time for more engaging, value-adding tasks.

But times are changing. Companies are recognising the financial and operational importance of DevEx. And, thanks to the latest AI tools, it’s easier than ever to address the issues that have hampered DevEx for years.

These improvements aren’t just theoretical. We’ve tested them ourselves through a scientific study of our own product engineering teams – and seen the speed and quality improvements for ourselves.

It’s the beginning of a new era of productivity – and, hopefully, significantly happier dev teams.