Blitz.Red is an online timer which can be used for any 1v1 turn-based games. It allows two players to use a Fischer style clock (like is used in Chess) to keep track of turn time.

Red is a core part of the branding for Blitz.Red, so by default almost everything on the site is in red. However, there were accessibility issues for people with colour blindness, so more options were added. This also allowed PolyLive, a major user of the site, to have more continous branding when it featured in their games. The logo shows a stopwatch with a lightning strike, which symbolises what the site is used for.

A primary feature of Blitz.Red is how customisable it is, and I had to find a way to allow the user to make use of all this without making the interface too cluttered or unintuitive. I designed custom elements for checkboxes and time input, rather than relying on the browser’s built-in elements, which allowed greater flexibility. I was especially happy with how the time input element turned out. Mobile usability was a primary concern because the timer was being used with mobile games. I found that I had to make the theme switching buttons bigger on smaller screens.

The timer is animated so it’s easier to see at a glance which side is currently counting down, and to draw the eye to the relevant part of the timer.

The timer is currently available here, but the domain name is expiring soon and the timer is no longer in use, so it may not be available for much longer. It has expired. You can still see the timer in action in one of the several videos by PolyLive.