Manifestations of Empathy in Software Engineering: How, Why, and When It Matters

Empathy plays a crucial role in software engineering (SE), influencing collaboration, communication, and decision-making. While prior research has highlighted the importance of empathy in SE, there is limited understanding of how empathy manifests in SE practice, what motivates SE practitioners to demonstrate empathy, and the factors that influence empathy in SE work. Our study explores these aspects through 22 interviews and a large scale survey with 116 software practitioners. Our findings provide insights into the expression of empathy in SE, the drivers behind empathetic practices, SE activities where empathy is perceived as useful or less relevant, and the other factors that influence empathy. In addition, we offer practical implications for SE practitioners and researchers, offering a deeper understanding of how to effectively integrate empathy into SE processes.