The Gist
One Big Match is our little web app for making events less awkward. Think Jackbox Games, but instead of competing, you're connecting with new people. Everyone uses their phone, a host runs the show from a main screen, and it’s all about creating a fun, low-pressure way to get people talking.
Where it came from.
The idea started with a TikTok. I saw a huge event using a matchmaking tool and my first thought was, "That's awesome. I want that for my org." We were always looking for better icebreakers.
I'm a huge fan of Jackbox Games. I love how you can get a whole room of people playing in seconds, just using their phones. No downloads, no complicated setup. I wanted to bring that same energy to a social tool. I talked about it with my friends, Abby and JJ, and we were just like, "We should just build that."
So we did. I started coding, JJ jumped right in with me, and Abby took on all the design, which was a lifesaver. She's the reason it actually looks and feels fun to use.
We really geeked out on building it.
We got really into the process. The whole "Jackbox feel" was our north star, so building it as a web app with a real-time lobby was non-negotiable. We went with Next.js and React because we wanted the interface on your phone to feel instant and snappy.
The part we obsessed over was the real time connection. We spent a ton of time getting the WebSockets right with our Node.js backend. We wanted that moment when the host sees everyone's little icons popping up on the main screen to feel seamless and alive. We used a solid PostgreSQL database with Prisma to handle all the data. It was a ton of work, but we came out of it with this really polished tool that we were genuinely proud to show people.
Then we kind of hit a wall.
We built this thing we loved, put it out there, and... the reaction was pretty quiet.
It was a tough pill to swallow. We realized we had fallen into a classic trap. We were so focused on building a cool product and solving the problem we saw, that we forgot to actually go talk to the people who would be using it. We built the app for a hypothetical user, not a real one.
So, what now?
That’s what we're focused on now. The app is solid, the tech is there. But now we're doing the work we should have done at the start. We're trying to get it into the hands of anyone running an org or an event, not to sell them, but just to watch them use it and talk to them. We want to learn what they actually need.
We have this powerful little engine we built. Now we're just trying to figure out who really needs a ride. It's a humbling process, but it feels like we’re finally on the right track.
