Hey everyone, I’m a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University conducting a research study on how developers are actually using spec-driven development (SDD) in practice — things like writing SPEC.md files, PRDs, or structured natural-language specs before working with AI coding agents like Claude Code. There’s a lot of community knowledge about how to do SDD well, but almost no academic research on it. I’m trying to change that. What the study involves: One 45-60 minute semi-structured interview via Zoom Questions about your SDD workflow, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how it fits into your SDLC No tasks, no tests — just a conversation about your experience Who I’m looking for: Have at least one year of active experience as a contributor or maintainer of any open-source GitHub project Have used SDD tools/workflows in that project (spec files, structured prompting, plan-mode workflows, etc.) 18 or older, fluent in English What you get: Honestly, nothing monetarily. But your experience will directly shape a taxonomy of SDD workflows and practices that I’ll publish openly. Happy to share findings with participants who want them. Ethics/privacy : The interview will only be audio-recorded with your consent. Your responses will be kept confidential and de-identified in any published findings. If you’re interested, fill out this short screening survey (5 min): LINK Or DM me / comment below with questions. submitted by /u/lost_researcher1
Originally posted by u/lost_researcher1 on r/ClaudeCode