Paper cuts and bad days: Improving developer experience by listening to engineers

At Stripe, a developer productivity initiative focused on improving the overall engineering experience by establishing a team to measure and enhance the cross-cutting developer experience, particularly through collecting and addressing "paper cuts" or minor frustrations faced by engineers. By incorporating a "bad day" button in various engineering tools, the team gathered extensive feedback that was turned into actionable Jira tickets, revealing numerous overlooked issues in the developer workflow. Initially met with resistance, the initiative eventually gained traction by collaborating with teams to better understand user pain points and prioritize improvements. This approach emphasized empathy, cooperation, and attention to detail, transforming paper cuts from isolated annoyances into valuable data for company-wide prioritization. The initiative highlighted that small improvements can significantly enhance overall productivity and satisfaction within an engineering organization, and it underscored the importance of continuous learning and adaptation.