Mempy (Virtual) July 2023 - From Horror Story to Fairy Tale

From Horror Story to Fairy Tale: Writing code people want to read

As developers we spend much more time reading code than we do writing it. It’s important that our code conveys its meaning clearly, not just to the computer but also to other developers. Everything we write tells a story, and our code is no different. From meaningless variable names to confusing comments, the code we write can be a horror story that leads to frustration, bugs, and delays.
In this session we'll discuss the importance of empathy when writing code, and the impact this can have on inclusivity. We'll look at concrete examples of poor naming, obfuscated logic, and other anti-patterns. And finally we'll cover specific tips for writing fairy tale code that future developers will want to read. We'll also cover processes for implementing these tips within your team so that you can all live happily ever after.

Michael Dowden
Technology Leader, Author, and International Keynote Speaker

Michael is an international keynote speaker, Sr Engineering Manager at LegalZoom, and founder of Andromeda Galactic Solutions and FlexePark. As a leader with 30 years in the technology industry, he has worked alongside more than 100 companies to build human-centered solutions. Michael is a Google Developer Expert and Microsoft MVP, and is the author of Programming Languages ABC++, Approachable Accessibility, and Architecting CSS.