Spillin' Timer — Creativity on a Clock

Introduction

Spillin' Timer is a workshop timer I built to help teams break routine and spark creativity. Instead of passive games, it gives designers a tight timebox to make something — alone or together — then compare results. You can enter your own prompt, set time and rounds, or pick from built-in prompts. The tool also saves a session summary to FigJam so outcomes are easy to share.

My Role

UX & UI, product thinking, prototype.

Team

Solo.

Timeline

2025

Business Task

Provide a lightweight, low-friction tool that replaces "busywork breaks" with structured creative sprints, reduces setup time, and captures outcomes for sharing and team learning.

Persona

Design Goals

Key Flows & Features

Team identity & access

Problem

Teams need a quick way to gather and start together.

Solution

Enter a team name and share a join link/code; participants land on a ready state.

Outcome

Fast alignment and fewer stalls at the start.

Admin setup (configure the workshop)

Problem

Warm-ups die in setup when options are scattered.

Solution

A focused admin screen to define prompt source (custom or built-in), select mode, set time and rounds, and start.

Outcome

Median time-to-start ≤60s.

Choose a workshop mode

Problem

Different goals require different levels of intensity.

Solution

Three modes — Design Sprint, Quick Boost, Icebreaker — with concise descriptions and defaults for time/rounds.

Outcome

Clear intent and speed to action for any session.

Rounds & duration

Problem

Facilitators need structure without micromanaging.

Solution

Pick number of rounds and per-round duration; defaults provided by the selected mode.

Outcome

Predictable cadence and smoother facilitation.

Timer & in-session guidance

Problem

People stall when they run out of ideas mid-sprint.

Solution

Minimal timer view with small contextual prompts; no heavy UI.

Outcome

Fewer stalls; steadier momentum; better focus.

System & Components

Results & Measurement

What I Did