evidence EV-MAINT-2026-7B19

Information scent predicts maintenance navigation

Identifier: EV-MAINT-2026-7B19
Research Area: software-maintenance
Status: draft
Version: 0.1
Confidence: 0.6
Priority: medium
Tags: program-comprehension, information-foraging
Updated: 2026-07-22
Source: research/evidence/EV-MAINT-2026-7B19--information-scent-predicts-navigation.md

Evidence Record

An empirical maintenance study found information-foraging constructs predicted professional developers' code navigation. Handoffs may work by improving cues and search paths rather than transferring a complete mental model.