Watch someone try it

The best test of this project is simple: someone who has never used it tries it while you watch. It takes about 30 minutes and needs no code. It finds problems that our automated tests and our own runs cannot, because we already know where everything is.

Before you start

Find someone new to open source or to GSoC. A classmate or a friend is perfect.
Use their own computer, and do not install anything for them beforehand.
Tell them: "We are testing the tool, not you. Please think aloud. I will stay quiet unless you are stuck."
Have a way to take notes, and a clock.

Give them these tasks, one at a time

Read each task aloud and add nothing else.

"Here is the project page: https://github.com/anandkaranubc/git-into-gsoc. Install it."
"Find two or three organizations that could fit you."
"Pick one, and find a beginner issue you could try. Check whether someone already took it."
If they use an AI coding assistant: "Ask your assistant which GSoC issue you should try first."
"What would you do next?"

While they work

Stay quiet. If they ask you a question, ask back: "What do you think it means?" Step in only after about two minutes of being stuck, and write down that you did. Write down:

every pause longer than about 10 seconds, and what was on the screen;
words they read twice or ask about;
anything they expected that did not happen;
error messages, with the exact text;
how long it took to finish the install, to see the first organizations, and to find the first issue.

Afterwards

Ask three questions:

"What was the most confusing moment?"
"What would you tell a friend about this tool?"
"Would you use it again? Why or why not?"

Then send us your notes in one feedback form. Put the stuck moments under "Where did you get stuck", and quote their words where you can. Ask before you quote them, and leave out their name and any personal details.

One session like this is worth more than a long list of ideas. Thank you.

Source: docs/watch-someone-try-it.md on GitHub. Corrections are welcome.