I built a coin flip tool and realized the result doesn’t really matter
I didn’t plan to build a product.
The idea started because I kept getting stuck on small decisions:
which task to start, whether to continue something or stop, what to do next when my brain felt tired. None of these choices were important, but they kept slowing me down.
So I built a very simple coin flip page (https://wheelpage.com/coin-flip/).
No login, no settings, no explanation. You open it, flip once, and move on.
I honestly thought almost no one would use it.
The mistake I almost made
At the beginning, I tried to “improve” it.
I thought people would want:
- history
- statistics
- customization
- more control
So I started adding things. And the page became heavier, slower, and honestly… less useful.
At some point I removed almost everything again.
What surprised me was that usage didn’t drop. It felt more natural. People didn’t want a system — they wanted a moment.
What people actually use it for
Some users told me something interesting.
They said the coin result itself wasn’t the important part. What mattered was their reaction to it.
If the coin landed on “Heads” and they felt disappointed, the decision was already made — the coin just exposed it.
I didn’t design for that. It happened naturally.
Why I kept it minimal
I also built a simple decision wheel later, but the principle stayed the same:
- No accounts
- No ads
- No dashboards
- No “engagement features”
You open it, use it, close it.
I don’t want people to stay. I want them to leave faster.
What this small project taught me
Building something “boring” taught me more than some bigger projects.
Not everything needs growth loops.
Not everything needs optimization.
Sometimes removing features is the best decision you can make.
And sometimes, a tiny tool works not because it gives an answer — but because it helps you notice how you feel about the answer.
I’m curious:
Have you ever built (or used) something small that turned out to be more useful than you expected?
Or noticed that the value wasn’t in the result, but in your reaction to it?
If anyone is curious, the project lives here:
https://wheelpage.com/
Top comments (1)
For clarity: this is just a small side project I built for myself.
I’m more interested in how others think about reducing decision friction than promoting the tool.