Unleashing the Power of Implicit Feedback in Software Product Lines: Benefits Ahead

Software Product Lines (SPLs) facilitate the development of a complete range of software products through systematic reuse. Reuse involves not only code but also the transfer of knowledge gained from one product to others within the SPL. This transfer includes bug fixing, which, when encountered in one product, affects the entire SPL portfolio. Similarly, feedback obtained from the usage of a single product can inform beyond that product to impact the entire SPL portfolio. Specifically, implicit feedback refers to the automated collection of data on software usage or execution, which allows for the inference of customer preferences and trends. While implicit feedback is commonly used in single-product development, its application in SPLs has not received the same level of attention. This paper promotes the investigation of implicit feedback in SPLs by identifying a set of SPL activities that can benefit the most from it. We validate this usefulness with practitioners using a questionnaire-based approach (n=8). The results provide positive insights into the advantages and practical implications of adopting implicit feedback at the SPL level.