PRACTICAL GUIDE
A Five-Minute Rehearsal Before You Put a Wheel on Screen
Check entries, sound, motion, backups and result rules before a classroom, workshop or livestream wheel session.
A wheel can look perfect on your laptop and still be difficult to read across a room. Before a casual workshop, classroom activity or livestream, rehearse the whole sequence on the screen people will actually see. This checklist takes about five minutes when your list is ready.
Minute one: inspect the entries
Read the full list once. Remove yesterday’s options, correct ambiguous names and check for accidental repeats. On the main Wheel Spinner, identical labels remain separate entries, so two copies give that label two chances. Open the weights and confirm that any unequal values are intentional.
Use short, recognizable labels on the display. Keep private details out of both labels and exported files. A room needs to identify an option; it usually does not need full personal information.
Minute two: check the audience view
Stand where the audience will sit, or ask someone to look from that distance. Can they read the selected result? Is the pointer visible? Does the browser fit the screen without hiding controls? Increase browser zoom if needed and repeat the check. Do not rely on color alone to explain who or what was chosen.
Minute three: test one complete turn
Before replacing any entries, export the intended wheel as JSON and keep that backup somewhere you can find. Then use an obviously fictional practice list. Start a spin, read the result and try the action you plan to use afterward. If everyone should receive one turn, rehearse Remove selected. If repeats are allowed, leave the result in the wheel. Try Undo before the audience arrives so you know how to correct the last removal.
Check sound at the actual output device. Mute it for a quiet setting. Turn on Reduced motion (instant results) when you want an instant result rather than animation.
Minute four: check your recovery copy
Import the intended wheel from the backup you made before practice, then check its entries and weights again. Local browser saving does not synchronize to a second laptop. If you change devices, import the backup there and repeat the check. Keep the plain entry list available as a simple fallback.
Minute five: announce the rule
Say what is eligible, whether repeats are allowed and when a result may be corrected. For example: “Each listed group gets one turn. We remove each selected group. If I entered a group twice, we pause and fix the list.”
Restore the real wheel after practice and inspect it before the first live draw. For OBS, use the overlay studio and rehearse the browser source in OBS separately. A successful local rehearsal does not certify a regulated prize draw or guarantee that a stream is showing the same view.