Context — the division, the theme, and the audience

In LEI (Learning Enhancement and Innovation) at the University of Adelaide, pods host the monthly meeting. The Orcas hosted 27 August 2025; topic was decision-making, coinciding with international RPS day. With 50+ colleagues on Teams, we needed something interactive, quick to facilitate, and simple.

Early approach — Mentimeter and a rethink

Two failed Mentimeter trials highlighted limitations around state, ties, and bracket progression. An initial 50+ player idea was impractical, so we reframed to pod managers as players. Existing RPS games were evaluated but found unsuitable for a quick start or clear facilitation. Used Firebase Studio to scaffold quickly; iterated on arena styling, bracket, and "latest result".

Pivot — AI-assisted build with Firebase + Stackblitz

Multiplayer was the main challenge; while Gemini understood the requirement to create a match between two players, it struggled to generate correct tournament bracketing. With 14 teams, it would try to create byes but wouldn't progress them to the next round automatically, only seeming to work with a perfect power of two, like 16 players. My developer partner, Aaron, was able to successfully engineer the logic to handle the brackets correctly. We paired over several builds to stabilise real-time reads/writes and repair regressions from rapid AI-led edits. We registered the domain, connected hosting, and ran ad-hoc tests which proved compatible with MS Teams breakout rooms.

Problem and constraints

• Run a lightweight tournament many can follow on one call, with minimal setup.
• Handle ties and bracket progression; clearly show who plays next.
• Keep interaction simple so pod managers can represent teams without confusion.

Approach and evolution

Design and presentation

• Aesthetic: 8-bit/arcade, bold headings, high-contrast CTAs, dark theme.
• Information design: Left-anchored bracket; right-rail for "in progress" + "latest result"; prominent reset for facilitators.
• Accessibility: Large type, clear focus states, plain-language statuses (e.g., "It's a draw — play again"); keyboard-only facilitation checks planned.

Testing and facilitation plan

• Ad-hoc tests with colleagues validated round flow, draw handling, and visibility of the bracket.
• Facilitation model: pods play in breakout rooms; host advances bracket via admin panel; reconvene to view results.
• Success indicators: no state collisions when multiple pods finish at once; clear "who's next"; easy recovery after reset.

Deployment

Domain leipodbattle.com.au mapped to Firebase Hosting; pre-flight checks completed ahead of the meeting.

What I learned

• AI accelerates scaffolding but isn't a substitute for engineering judgement.
• Rapid prompt → run → observe → fix loops worked best.
• Pairing with an engineer (Aaron) was essential for multiplayer stability.

Next steps after the live run

• Collect structured feedback (quick pulse + short facilitator retro).
• Harden multiplayer (loading states, retries, defensive checks).
• Explore spectator mode, optional sound cues, and lightweight analytics.
• Extend accessibility (keyboard-only facilitation; alt text across UI imagery).

Acknowledgements

Huge thanks to Aaron from the media team in our LEI division at the University of Adelaide was essential in making the live build possible, particularly in stabilising the multiplayer functionality and state synchronisation.

Disclosure on AI use

AI guided the environment setup (Firebase/Stackblitz), generated starter code, adjusted presentation elements, and created background imagery. Human review and iteration were responsible for the overall experience design, fixing bugs, and stabilising the multiplayer behaviour.

Interactive demo