Guesstimate / original design
Inspired by a TV game show, I designed Guesstimate as a social game that brings the fun of estimation challenges to friends gathering together. Players compete to get closest to the correct answer on questions that are difficult to know precisely—like "How many heartbeats does the average person have in a year?"
The game offers both single-device and multi-device play options, plus a unique "Host Mode", where one player can present questions with entertaining flair. Players join easily via QR codes or direct invites, making it accessible for any social setting. In Guesstimate, it's not what you know, but how well you can estimate that leads to victory.
process.
identifying the problem
The concept for Guesstimate emerged after watching a TV estimation game show. I realized this simple yet engaging format was surprisingly absent from mobile game libraries. Market research confirmed my suspicion—while plenty of trivia and word games existed, hardly any took advantage of our habit to estimate answers in a social context.
setting goals
My primary vision for Guesstimate was to create a game app that genuinely brings people together, encouraging face-to-face interaction rather than isolating players behind their screens. The main design goal are to:
- Create a clean interface that prioritizes content and clarity over visual distractions
- Design rules that anyone can understand in seconds and create a user-friendly flow
- Build flexibility as a core feature, letting players choose between single-device or multi-device gameplay based on their social setting
- Make the game adaptable for different group sizes and social settings, from family dinners to party nights
starting the design
onboarding
Guesstimate features a flexible onboarding flow designed to accommodate various user preferences.
Players can create an account, log in with an existing account, or select "Play as Guest" for immediate access, without registration requirements.
Players with the app already installed can bypass the traditional login flow entirely by scanning a QR code or clicking an invitation link received from friends, placing them directly into an active game session. This approach prioritizes gameplay accessibility.
two game options
I noticed people play differently depending on their situation, so I designed two ways to play Guesstimate.
The players can choose "Single Device" when sitting together and passing one phone around, or they have the option to choose "Multiple Devices", when everyone prefers their own screen.
host mode with smart chat
Host mode is a standout feature that transforms the gameplay experience and allows one player to take the role of the game host/presenter. This host dramatically reveals questions and answers, creating an entertaining experience.
The host mode has also an integrated Smart Chat, which gives hosts the ability to provide clarifying information and share fun facts about the questions.
non creator-non host
Players don’t need to create a game or host themselves, but they can simply join a game.
In case two players want to host the same game, an easy voting system is implemented, where everyone chooses their preferred host, instead of forcing an automatic decision.
This creates a moment of excitement as players wait to see who will lead the session, transforming a potential conflict into a fun social interaction.
what I've learned.
I learned to create color styles, components and variants, rather than designing screens in isolation
A valuable skill that I’ve acquired was creating interactive prototypes. That transformed how I communicate my ideas
I developed my ability to map different user flows, while maintaining coherence across the experience