In the field of software development, we frequently talk about programming as a logical, analytical, and engineering discipline. Applications are built of state machines, deterministic algorithms, and control flows. But the process of actually writing software, the composition of code, is primarily a creative endeavor.
Software Development as an Artistic Endeavor
I’d argue that software development is more of an art than a science. We impose significant constraints but, nonetheless, generate something unique. Given the same set of initial software requirements, I’m 100% certain that 10 different experienced teams of coders would give you 10 uniquely written and structured applications.
Peter Naur, a Turing Award winner, argued back in 1984 that “immediate human apprehension, or intuition, is the basis on which all activities involved in software development must build.”[1] So what does an intuition-centered development practice look like?
Intuitive Software Development
Recent research has shown that expert developers build mental models to perform complex cognitive tasks, but that research is fragmented and not yet well developed.[2] According to a paper from 2001 building upon Naur’s Intuition in Software Development, experienced developers often rely on what the researchers call “construals” – dynamic, evolving mental models that bridge the gap between abstract concepts and practical implementation.[3]
This intuitive understanding operates on multiple levels:
- Code Comprehension. When reading code, developers don’t process it line by line like a computer. Instead, they form immediate impressions about its structure, purpose, and potential problems. This is why code that “feels wrong” often turns out to have actual issues.
- Domain Understanding. Good developers build an intuitive grasp of how their software relates to the real world it operates in. This helps them anticipate edge cases and requirements before they’re explicitly stated.
- Design Decisions. Many architectural and design choices come from a developer’s accumulated experience rather than formal analysis. Fred Brooks, in his famous “No Silver Bullet” paper, compared software development to growing a plant rather than building a structure – emphasizing the organic, intuitive nature of the process.[4]
In short, intuition is the ability to immediately grasp connections between code, its behavior, and its real-world implications without explicit reasoning.
Categories of Developer Intuition
Another way I’d frame intuitive development would be through three categories of intuition:
- Pattern Recognition:
⇒ Spotting code smells before static analysis tools (Code Comprehension)
⇒ Architectural decisions that “feel right” (Domain Understanding)
⇒ Quick problem diagnosis based on previous experiences (Design Decisions) - Rapid Decision Making
⇒ Knowing when to refactor vs. when to rewrite (Code Comprehension)
⇒ Choosing the right tool for the job without exhaustive analysis (Domain Understanding)
⇒ Identifying potential bottlenecks early in the design phase (Design Decisions) - Flashes of Insight
⇒ Coming up with a clever, novel way to solve a new problem (Code Comprehension)
⇒ Asking the right question at the right time (Domain Understanding)
⇒ Finding an elegant solution to a complex design issue (Design Decisions)
Perhaps you, dear reader, already know what I’m talking about and exactly how GOATed you feel when a moment of intuition strikes. However, I feel it’s too often easy to brush right past that feeling and eagerly plow ahead with the solution. Our intuition isn’t always correct, so learning from mistakes is just as important as learning to trust our guts. Especially if you are a more junior developer looking to level up, it’s important to be vigilant for these moments and take the time to step back and critically analyze them.
Practicing Intuitive Development
Like any skill, intuition can be developed. At a fundamental level, you have to get the reps in. But the quality of those reps also matters. Modern software development approaches increasingly encourage good intuition-building practices. Some specific practices I would recommend to build a better developer intuition are:
- Deliberate Code Review
⇒ Focus on why decisions were made, not just what they are
⇒ Study anti-patterns and refactoring examples
⇒ Review old code you’ve written
⇒ Pair program regularly - Pattern Recognition Training
⇒ Implement the same solution in different languages/paradigms
⇒ Practice reading stack traces
⇒ Develop debugging strategies
⇒ Reimplement basic tools (web server, database, compiler) - Experiential Learning
⇒ Build throwaway projects regularly
⇒ Practice system design with constrained resources
⇒ Practice explaining technical concepts to other devs
⇒ Mentor junior developers - Reflection Practices
⇒ Keep a technical decision journal
⇒ Document your “aha” intuitive moments and conduct post-mortems on those decisions
⇒ Analyze why certain solutions worked/failed
⇒ Participate in architecture reviews
Cultivating Your Intuition
As we build increasingly complex systems, developer intuition becomes more crucial, not less. It’s a bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Software development isn’t just about building a product. It’s about building a theory of a product, a deep understanding of the problem domain, the users, and the context in which the software will operate. This theory-building process is inherently intuitive, and it’s something that you can either passively submit to or actively cultivate. Trust me. 😉
Footnotes
1. Peter Naur. Intuition in Software Development. In TAPSOFT, volume 2, pages 60–79, 1985.
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950584923001544
3. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/dcs/research/em/publications/papers/downloads/105.pdf
4. https://worrydream.com/refs/Brooks_1986_-_No_Silver_Bullet.pdf