What is an ideal pair programming setup?

Question

We have the opportunity to set up a pairing workstation; I would like it to be great. What features should I look for? Monitors, keyboards, mice, furniture - all suggestions are welcome. I'm not terribly concerned with specific brands & models; I want to know what criteria to use to make the selections.

Answer 1

Hi Carl,

I answer your question by pointing you to the many publications by Laurie Williams at NCSU as her research group have published a number of great articles on the topic:

http://collaboration.csc.ncsu.edu/laurie/publicationsAll.html#PairProgramming

In particular, you might find these helpful, specifically for designing a pair programming environment:

• Baheti, P., Williams, L., Gehringer, E., Stotts, D., and Smith, J., Distributed Pair Programming: Empirical Studies and Supporting Environments, UNC-CH Technical Report TR02-010, March 15, 2002.
• Williams, L., Lessons Learned from Seven Years of Pair Programming at North Carolina State University, Inroads: ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 79-83, December 2007.

As you'll read, it's often the case that it's more important to look at who you pair, rather than the details of how you pair.

Best of luck!

DB