Posted Oct 28, 2026

Stop The Clock: a daily mini game for Pebbler on World App THE BRIEF Pebbler wanted a new game for its Earn Hub. Players stop an up-counting timer as close to 10.000 seconds as they can, and the closer they get, the bigger the crypto reward. One free try every 24 hours. The idea isn't new, and that's the point. It's the 10 Second Challenge people already film on social media, and the stop-the-clock machine from the arcade. The goal was to turn something people already play for fun into something they'd come back to every day. THE CHALLENGES Make six reward tiers easy to understand at a glance. Each tier pays out a different crypto coin, and a plain table of numbers felt cold and easy to skip. Keep it fair. A timing game with real rewards attracts bots, so the timer needed a defense, and players needed to understand it without feeling cheated. Make losing feel okay. Most players will miss most of the time, so the losing screen matters just as much as the winning one. WHAT I DID Prize cabinet instead of a reward table Taking a cue from the fair, every tier is a plush toy holding a price tag. The rarer the toy, the bigger the prize, with a crowned elephant as the jackpot for a perfect 10.000. The toys are chunky and low on detail on purpose, so they still read clearly when they're small on the shelf. A timer with a few tricks The timer subtly shifts its pace during every run. Real players can feel it and adapt, while auto-tap bots that rely on fixed timing miss the mark. Practice before the real thing Practice mode has unlimited tries and shows the full prize cabinet, so players can learn the timing before spending their one daily Challenge. Two very different endings A win shows the toy you earned, glowing, with one tap to claim. A miss shows a teary grey plush and exactly how far off you were, then points you back to practice instead of just saying "you lose". THE PROCESS Rough sketches and style references first, then lo-fi wireframes, then hi-fi, with feedback from the Pebbler team at every stage. WHAT I LEARNED The trickiest part wasn't the start or the result screen, it was everything in between. While the timer is running, and especially as it gets close to 10 seconds, players have to read the time, feel the pace and decide when to tap, all in a split second. Designing that moment so it stays clear and easy to follow, without getting in the way of the challenge, was the real UX puzzle of this project. Thanks for stopping by, feedback is always welcome! Have a project in mind? Feel free to reach out.