Yhn SportBaseball first seen 1 d ago, last 1 h ago, peak #2

Blogger pays strangers to test README instructions

Original: I paid people to try and follow my README

A developer blogger ran an experiment paying people to follow a README file from start to finish and report where they got stuck. The write-up documents how real users struggled with setup instructions that seemed obvious to the author, highlighting the gap between what developers write and what newcomers actually understand. Commenters are swapping their own experiences with poorly documented projects and debating whether paid usability testing should be standard for open-source docs.

Why now: Documentation usability resonates widely with developers who ship READMEs they never test on real users

edentREADMEopen source software

Open on hn →

Evidence

• I paid people to try and follow my README · edent · 395

Elsewhere

• Mmastodon #11 · 3 min ago

API: https://socialmediatrends-api.osmike.com/v1/trends/1855500