Reveal Survey Report: Top Software Development Challenges for 2024 

The Rise of AI

Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and the technology is already shaping everything from text and image generation to research and learning. Three-quarters of software developers (75.4%) are currently using generative AI to create software.

The main reasons software developers are using generative AI in creating software are: 

• Increase developer productivity 49% 
• Eliminate repetitive tasks 38.4% 
• Speed up development time 35.9% 
• Cut down on errors 32.1% 

However, those who have not jumped on the AI trend cite concerns such as: 

• Generative AI code lacks the creativity and innovation of human developers  
• AI can produce code with security vulnerabilities 
• Code developed with AI may contain errors, bugs, or inefficiencies 

There is also some concern that AI might make the developer’s role obsolete. 

AI is expected to have widespread integration this year as it becomes ubiquitous among consumers, businesses, and global markets. Nearly half of the Reveal survey respondents (49.2%) plan to implement AI tools in 2024, compared to 27% in 2023.

Embedded Analytics and Adoption of New Technology Continues to Grow

Due to more customer and internal interest, the use of embedded analytics is expected to rise again in 2024. Organizations are embracing embedded analytics software because they are the key to achieving a competitive edge and business growth.  

Almost three-quarters of software developers currently incorporate embedded analytics into their apps (73.2%), and 71.6% expect their organization’s focus on business intelligence to rise in 2024. 

The top 6 reasons software developers and their customers want embedded analytics software are: 

1. Make better business decisions (20.2%)
2. Improve productivity (18.6%)
3. Increase sales/revenue (15.6%)
4. Understand business problems (12.4%)
5. Identify ways to cut costs (11.2%)
6. Identify trends (10.8%)

Adopting new technologies is growing, with 41.7% planning to adopt them in 2024, compared to a third of survey respondents (36.9%) incorporating them in 2023.   

Other software tools are also on the rise: a third (33.5%) of software developers will implement designer/developer collaboration tools in 2024, and 31.6% plan to implement business intelligence tools.

Top Challenges in 2024

While the biggest software development challenge in 2024 will be incorporating AI into the development process (40.7%), security threats are surging, as evidenced by recent cybersecurity attacks on healthcare systems, financial institutions, retailers, and the government. These security threats are among software developers’ key challenges this year (34% in 2024 vs. 26.1% in 2023).   

Other challenges include high workload (29.6% in 2024 vs. 24% in 2023) and increased customer demands (29.2% in 2024 vs. 26% in 2023).  

The survey found that the biggest business challenge for the technology industry in 2024 will be working with limited resources (40.9%) — surpassing the biggest business challenge of the past two years – recruiting developers with the right skills (34%). Other top 2024 business challenges are: 

• Retaining current talent (32.1%) 
• Difficulty landing new business (30.6%)  
• Inability to pay competitive salaries (30.3%)  

While the developer shortage is no longer the top challenge in 2024, respondents indicated that Software Developer was the hardest job to fill, followed by Data Analyst, Web Designer (UX/UI), and Web Developer. 

The survey found that the top four skills that will be crucial in software development this year are:  

1. Working with web layouts (41.7%)
2. UX/UI Design (39.2%)
3. Data Analysis (37.2%)
4. Data Visualization (31.7%)

Company Growth is Expected to Slow

Last year was positive in terms of revenue growth, with two in 10 survey respondents (19%) seeing revenue grow by 50% in 2023. However, expectations for new business in 2024 are expected to take a downturn.   

In 2023, more than a third of software developers took on new projects (35.7%), compared to 32.8% expecting to in 2024. Another third saw an increase in requests for proposals in 2023 (33%) while only 27.5% expect to see an increase in 2024. 

On the bright side, the survey found that in 2024, software developers plan to:  

• Expand into new markets (33.3%) 
• Take on new projects (32.8%)  
• Increase their revenue (31.3%)

Conclusion

The tech industry faces challenges on all fronts, from implementing generative AI to increasing cybersecurity attacks. As AI begins to shake up the software development industry, some take advantage of its initial capabilities while others take a “wait and see” approach. Innovations in AI are accelerating and evolving. While AI may not soon replace developers, we must learn more about AI, explore its potential, and prepare for its impact on the future of software development. 

The cybersecurity challenge persists as a problem for software developers, with over 2,200 cyberattacks occurring each day, according to Security Magazine. 

Embedded analytics adoption continues to grow as more and more organizations gain an understanding of its value in simplifying workflows and speeding up the process of discovering valuable insights from data. While we may see a slight downturn in company growth in 2024, software developers have more opportunities to increase their business by adopting new technology. 

About the survey

585 software developers and IT professionals participated in Infragistics’ Reveal 2024 survey from December 2023 to January 2024.