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Developer paid strangers to test his README instructions
Original: I paid people to try and follow my README
Software developer Terence Eden hired people to follow his project's README file from scratch, to see whether a newcomer could actually get the software running using only the written instructions. The experiment highlights a common complaint in software development: documentation is often poorly written, out of date, or missing entirely, leaving users to struggle through forums instead. Developers are discussing whether paying testers should become a standard way to improve documentation quality.
Why now: Poor documentation is a widely shared frustration among developers, and the idea of paying strangers to test instructions is a fresh, practical approach.
Terence EdenREADMEsoftware documentation
Rank over time, top of the chart is #1. 12 snapshots from 2 h ago to 6 min ago.
Evidence
- I paid people to try and follow my README · Terence Eden’s Blog
Developers suck at writing documentation. We like to say RTFM but often there ain't no FM to R. At best we have a half-arsed collection of notes, some obsolete tips, and a link to a desolate forum full of people asking the same questions again and again. That's no way to treat…
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