Factors that affect developers' decision to participate in a Mobile Software Ecosystem

In Mobile Software Ecosystem (MSECO), external developers build applications that meet the interest of users of mobile technologies. Researchers claim that MSECO sustainability depends on two capabilities: adoption of new technologies over time, and attraction and maintenance of people (i.e., developers and users) participating in these ecosystems. Our research focuses on the latter. We investigated factors that affect developers' decision to participate in an MSECO. First, we analyzed the literature to identify such motivational factors. Second, we interviewed experts in MSECO aiming to refine the identified factors. Finally, we also conducted interviews to identify the opinion of MSECO developers regarding the refined list of factors. The final list of 29 factors were discussed, one by one, by the 20 interviewees. Each developer indicated which factor motivated him/her to join a certain MSECO and also which has kept him/her contributing to it. Results indicate that the lack of studies focusing on developers, not just on technologies or business rules of the ecosystem, is a key for understanding developers' decision to participate in an MSECO. Moreover, developers become more concerned with their relationships in these ecosystems over time. As such, ou research contributes to the MSECO field with a list of motivating factors that should be considered by external developers from ecosystems towards MSECO sustainability. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc.