Every open‑source project starts with a README — but most READMEs are written for people who already understand the project. What about the newcomer?

In this lightning talk, I’ll show you three fixes you can make in five minutes or less that turn a confusing README into a welcoming, usable front door. No heavy rewrites. No perfect prose. Just small, human actions: adding a clear “what this does” first line, writing a setup step a beginner could follow, and including one obvious place to ask for help.

I’ve mentored dozens of students and new contributors. The biggest barrier is never the code — it’s the documentation that assumes too much. Let’s change that together.