TriviaLab

CountsLab · family build № 1

We're building a trivia app.
You're the lead designer.

Every trivia app you've tried and deleted got something wrong. This one won't, because you're calling the shots. Below are four playable sketches — none of them precious. Play each one, notice what feels right and what doesn't, then tell us on the feedback page.

Play the sketches Study the competition

Four sketches

Each one tests a different format. They share nothing but questions.

SKETCH 01

The Buzzer

A real tossup, read word by word. Buzz early for a power. Buzz wrong, eat a neg. Your P/T/N line at the end.

Notice: does buzzing on a phone feel fair — or does it need something else? Play →
SKETCH 02

The Board

Five categories, $200 to $1000, one Daily Double hiding somewhere. You score yourself on the honor system.

Notice: is self-scoring fine, or does the app need to check answers? Play →
SKETCH 03

Streak

Sudden death. One life, ten seconds a question, difficulty climbs as you go. How deep can you get?

Notice: where does the difficulty curve break — too easy too long, or a cliff? Play →
SKETCH 04

The Daily Five

Five questions. Same five for everyone. Once a day, with a share grid and a streak. Compare results at dinner.

Notice: would you actually open this again tomorrow? Why or why not? Play →

Then do your homework

Nobody designs in a vacuum. We wrote up every trivia game that matters — what each nails, what each fumbles, and what nobody has built yet.

FIELD GUIDE

The Trivia Landscape

Jeopardy to Protobowl to Wordle to the app-store graveyard. Read it, steal from it, then tell us which ingredients belong in ours.

Read →

House rules

This is v0. Nothing here is precious — your feedback decides v1. The plan: web first, then a real installable app for phones and tablets. (It already half-works: open the share menu and hit Add to Home Screen.)

Three promises, non-negotiable: no ads, no accounts, no energy bars. Ever.