The people and method behind Pixactly.
Pixactly is an independent pixel estimation game for designers and frontend builders. It asks for one honest visual guess, measures width and height separately, and turns the miss into a correction for the next set. The game is free, requires no account, and is maintained as a small long-running web project rather than a scientific assessment.
Current maintainer
David is one of Pixactly's original co-creators and its current maintainer. He maintains the browser game, reviews changes against the live scoring behavior, and writes or reviews the practice guides published under Pixactly Learn. Questions and corrections can be sent to [email protected].
Dan Gintis co-created the original version with David. His contribution remains part of Pixactly's origin; his professional profile is available on LinkedIn.
Where the game came from
Pixactly began in 2014 at pixact.ly as a short test for people who spend their working day looking at interface dimensions. The current site moved to pixactly.app and preserves the original task: read a target width and height, draw the rectangle by eye, then see the difference.
The present version uses five rounds that move from small to large targets. It reports total pixel error, width and height accuracy, elapsed time, and a personal best stored in the user's browser. No account or leaderboard is required.
How game changes are checked
A scoring change is checked against known target and drawn dimensions before publication. Width error and height error are calculated separately; total error is their absolute sum. Result overlays are checked to ensure the target and drawn rectangles remain visually distinguishable.
Mobile and pointer controls are tested as different input methods for the same task. Changes should not quietly turn a first-guess exercise into tracing, resizing after feedback, or a claim about design talent. The scoring guide documents the current interpretation in plain language.
How the guides are written and reviewed
- Each guide must answer a question that belongs to the current game or to practical interface-size judgment.
- Worked numbers are recalculated before publication and examples are labelled when they are illustrative.
- Pixactly does not invent player studies, population averages, testimonials, or improvement claims.
- Material changes receive a reviewed date; factual corrections update the affected explanation rather than only its timestamp.
- External facts are linked to a primary source when the article depends on one.
Advertising and independence
Pixactly may use advertising to help cover hosting and maintenance. Advertising does not determine the scoring formula, practice advice, or article conclusions. If ads are enabled, they are reserved for reading pages and kept out of the active drawing canvas, round feedback, game controls, and final-result actions.
A voluntary Ko-fi support page is also linked after a completed set. Support is optional and does not unlock a better score or change access to the game.
What Pixactly does not claim
Pixactly is not a medical vision test, a validated psychometric tool, or a ranking of professional design ability. Screen density, browser zoom, viewing distance, device size, and input method all affect the experience. Compare nearby sets on the same display when you want a useful personal baseline.