Where it started
One day, I wanted to host a Kahoot quiz with ten friends. In the setup I tried at the time, I was asked to pay for a plan, and I also ran into limits after generating a few quizzes. I wanted to get on with playing, so I started thinking about building an alternative.
What I wanted to be different
My ambition was to build a free quiz tool that anyone could use, including groups larger than a few friends. I wanted it to be practical enough that people would choose it for their games, not just try it once. I built Ponko on my own, and it has become a project I am passionate about.
The priorities behind the project are straightforward:
- Make joining straightforward. A six-character code gives the host a simple way to direct people into the same game.
- Make room for larger groups. Ponko supports up to 190 players in a game. Keeping access free is central to why I started the project.
- Reduce the work of preparing a quiz. AI can draft questions from a topic, but the host still needs to check the wording and answers before playing.
- Let people reuse their material. Ponko supports importing questions from a Kahoot-format spreadsheet or a Quizlet export, so starting on a new tool does not have to mean rewriting everything.
- Make the whole experience easier to follow. Creating a quiz is only one step; finding it again, sharing it, hosting it and sharing the podium all matter too.
What I have learned so far
The first version of Ponko was very basic. It had no gallery, and the flow for creating, sharing and hosting a quiz was not as quick as I wanted. Sharing the podium was also part of the experience I wanted to improve. Looking back at that first version has helped me identify where the work needs to go: making the steps around the quiz easier, as well as improving the quiz itself.
What has changed since then
Since that first version, I have made quiz creation and navigation clearer. When you draft a quiz with AI, Ponko now adds relevant tags, a short description and a category, so the quiz is easier to find. I have also added a short optional question to learn more about how people use Ponko. What I work on next will depend on what hosts tell me.
Tell me what you think
I have hosted a quiz with more than 45 people myself. I also want to understand how Ponko works for people in situations different from mine. If you have hosted a game, tried to create one or got stuck along the way, you can write to me at contact@playponko.com. Tell me what you were trying to do and where it became difficult.