Documenting and sharing software knowledge using screencasts

Abstract

Screencasts are used to capture a developer’s screen while they narrate how a piece of software works or how the software can be extended. They have recently become a popular alternative to traditional text-based documentation. This paper describes our investigation into how developers produce and share developer-focused screencasts. In this study, we identified and analyzed a set of development screencasts from YouTube to explore what kinds of software knowledge are shared in video walkthroughs of code and what techniques are used for sharing software knowledge. We also interviewed YouTube screencast producers to understand their motivations for creating screencasts as well as to discover the challenges they face while producing code-focused videos. Finally, we compared YouTube screencasts to videos hosted on the professional RailsCasts website to better understand the differences and practices of this more curated ecosystem with the YouTube platform. Our three-phase study showed that video is a useful medium for communicating program knowledge between developers and that developers build their online persona and reputation by sharing videos through social channels. These findings led to a number of best practices for future screencast creators.