Studio product · App design & build

Played on Paper

From a group-chat argument to an app on the App Store.

Who
Our own app
Year
2026
What we did
Product design, iPhone app, Live match data, Marketing site

IdeaApp Store

From a group-chat argument to a live app on the App Store

The idea

Every group chat has someone who reckons they called the score. We kept saying someone should build an app to settle it once and for all. So we did.

Where it is now

Played on Paper is on the App Store as an invite-only game. You predict exact scores, compete in private groups with your mates, and build a record that proves whether you really know football. Version 2 is in testing now.

How we got there

  • One rule that makes it social. You can’t see anyone’s picks, or join the chat, until you’ve made your own. Scroll on and the first screen unlocks, just as it does in the app.
Home feed with a live Arsenal v Spurs group chat and a Predict button.
Home: the chat is waiting
Predict tab with a season-winner pick and live match cards.
Predict
Match room with a locked 2–1 prediction worth 10 points if exact.
The match room
A group chat where picks stay hidden until they all reveal at lock.
Groups: picks reveal together
Honours screen with collectible cards and a rank ladder.
Honours
  • Designed before it’s built. Every screen is designed and signed off as a working prototype first, more than 300 so far. The app is built to a spec rather than guessed at.
  • One team, end to end. The iPhone app, the live match data behind it, and the website with its invite-only waitlist.

Built with

  • React Native
  • Expo
  • Node.js