unfolded:A story nobody wrote alone

On day two I explored three art directions as AI-generated boards: Paper, physically, Only an edge and Keep it together. I picked the first, and it shaped everything after.

The same afternoon, the plain first screens took on the new look. A paper study from that board became the reference for the story sheet at the end: creases, a wavy edge, a lifted corner.

The first version had everyone writing their own story at the same time, with a reveal of all of them at the end and a vote planned after. Then a friend described the version she knew: one shared story, taking turns. I asked around, and most people knew that version, not mine.

My first instinct was the wow version: offer both, as two modes. But more choice would have been overwhelming, especially at a party, before anyone has played. Less was more, so I went lean: one simple mode, the one most people already know.

The writing screen went through five versions. Early on, finishing your sentence and starting the next one were two steps behind a "continue" button, and friends found it unclear.

The fix was to make the hiding physical. You tap "fold the page", the paper folds over your sentence and rolls up, and you write the next start on the blank half: the only part the next person will see. Pull the roll down to peek at what you wrote.

I was at every test game, so feedback was spoken and watched, not measured. Three changes came straight from it:

Waiting. A friend found the waiting screen too static. Now it shows the writer's avatar, with dots that pulse only while they type.

Turn order. Random turns felt like a mistake. Now the order is shuffled once, then stays the same; only who starts is a surprise.

Time. In a 3-player game, one player felt rushed. Turns went from 2 minutes to 3, plus a fresh 2 after folding. The rule I kept: it should be fun for everyone, so time shouldn't be tight.

The end screen is the payoff: one sheet of paper with the whole story, signed by everyone who wrote it, with the hand-over points in bold. Players can name their copy, share it as a picture, and find it later in My stories, sorted by day.

A small reward for people who linger: hold a line, and the writer's words stay dark while their signature gets circled in pen.

I built unfolded with Claude Code. AI wrote the code and gave me options fast; my job was deciding what to keep, and real games were how I decided.

Sometimes I went against its advice. It said deleting a story didn't need a confirmation, since there's an undo. I kept the confirmation: the undo disappears fast, and even I, the designer, expected to be asked.

Sometimes it was right. It warned that my folded-strip icon could read as a map. I was too smitten with it to listen: it reminded me of folded paper, and I really wanted it to work. In real use, people saw a map, not paper. So I switched to a book, and learned to notice when I've fallen in love with an idea.

unfolded is a passion project, not a business. I'm not planning to monetize it; I just like making people laugh. So far it's been tested at real game nights with friends, where I could watch every round. The next step is testing at a larger scale, with analytics, to learn how strangers play when I'm not in the room.

So grab two friends and play a round, or try it alone with two pretend players. If something feels off, or a story made you laugh, tell me. I'm always up for more feedback.