Miniotaur

Create unique mazes, share them with the world, and challenge anyone brave enough to escape.

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Inspiration

Miniotaur started in the most old-fashioned way: with pen and paper.
At Deep Dish Swift 2024, I got a small AppFigures dot-grid notebook as swag.
I gave it to my 7-year-old (then 6-year-old) son Andreas, and he immediately started filling it with mazes — on car rides, at home, everywhere.
That simple notebook sparked the idea of turning his drawings into a real app we could build together.

What it does

Miniotaur lets anyone create, share, and escape mazes.

  • Use simple touch gestures to build your own labyrinth.
  • Share it instantly with friends or family via iCloud or as an image.
  • Every escape attempt records time and steps, so you can compare runs.

It’s simple enough for kids but engaging enough for adults — perfect for quick play sessions, family fun, or competitive challenges.

How we built it

The app is built in SwiftUI with CoreData handling persistence.
Mazes can be shared using CloudKit/iCloud, and data sync is automatic across devices.
We integrated RevenueCat for in-app purchases with a “choose your price” Pro tier.
I handled the coding while Andreas contributed ideas, UI mockups, homemade sound effects, and endless testing feedback.

Challenges we ran into

  • Balancing simplicity and flexibility: building an editor that’s powerful enough to make interesting mazes, but still easy for a 7-year-old to use.
  • Accessibility: Andreas has a color deficiency, so we designed a color-blind mode to ensure all players can clearly see paths and walls.
  • Sync & sharing: making iCloud sharing seamless and reliable while keeping data lightweight.
  • Hackathon timing: shipping something polished, accessible, and fun in the Shipaton timeframe.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Building an app that really feels like a father-and-son collaboration, with both of us leaving our mark.
  • Turning Andreas’ notebook and UI mockup sketches into a working, shareable iOS app.
  • Designing with accessibility in mind from day one.
  • Creating something that early testers are already enjoying.

What we learned

  • Kids are surprisingly great product designers — asking the right questions to keep it simple.
  • Accessibility isn’t an afterthought: designing for clarity makes the whole product better.
  • RevenueCat dramatically speeds up implementing flexible payment models.
  • CloudKit sharing has edge cases (permissions, offline sync) that are worth tackling early.
  • Hackathon constraints force you to focus on what matters most.

What's next for Miniotaur

  • Expanding sharing features — e.g. customizable image sharing.
  • Exploring community features like Game Center leaderboards, achivements, etc.
  • Continuing to refine accessibility and polish the design.

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