Creative Engineering / Tools
The Check-In Game
A Game for Deeper Connection
A mobile-first PWA designed to gamify vulnerability. Built as a digital love letter, it uses tactile physics and calm UI to facilitate deep conversations.
A Digital Love Letter
The Check-In Game was born from a personal journey. I built it as a birthday gift for my partner, Steph鈥攁 playground for connection designed to bridge the gap between "how was your day?" and true vulnerability.
Unlike social apps that demand attention, this is a tool designed to be put down. It invites partners, friends, or curious souls to slow down, clear the air, and get a little weird.
Game Modes
The system is built on a scalable CSV database of questions, tagged and filtered into distinct "Scenarios":
- 鉂わ笍 Couple Connection: Deep, meaningful prompts.
- 馃敟 Couple Spicy: Intimacy and desire.
- 馃帀 Cheeky & Playful: Lighthearted laughter.
- 馃槇 Sushi Jenga: NSFW dares for adventurous groups.
- 馃 Solo Introspection: Prompts for personal growth.
The UX of Vulnerability
I didn't want this to feel like a "form" or a "survey." It had to feel like a toy.
- Physics-Based: Using Framer Motion, every card transition uses spring physics. The UI responds to the thumb's velocity, making the swipe gesture feel fluid and organic.
- Calm UI: The design system strips away all non-essential elements. No headers, no footers, no status bars. Just the question and the partner.
- PWA Architecture: Built as a Progressive Web App to feel native on iOS/Android without the friction of an App Store download.
Roadmap
This project started as a private tool but is being refactored for a public release with:
- Custom Decks: Allowing users to edit the questions.
- Local-First Sync: Storing history on-device.
- Native Port: Porting the React logic to React Native for deeper haptic integration.