Computer Vision · Mobile App

Computer Vision Drives 20% User Growth for Rubik's Cube App

21Moves had a Rubik's Cube solver app with real traction — but a fragile computer vision scanner was holding users back. We rebuilt the pipeline from the ground up, lifting scanner success from 60% to 80%.

Client
21Moves
Domain
Consumer CV · Mobile
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21Moves Rubik's Cube app computer vision scanner interface
Scanner Success Rate
60%→80%
+20 percentage points
60%→80%
User success rate
+20 percentage points vs baseline
500k+
App downloads
across iOS and Android
4.7★
App store rating
across 25,000+ reviews
20%
More users converting
via the computer vision scanner
The Challenge

A scanner that worked — until real-world conditions broke it

21Moves had built a Rubik's Cube solver app with solid fundamentals, but the computer vision scanner struggled the moment conditions deviated from ideal. Glare, shadows, and colour ambiguity were silently failing 40% of users every day.

Glare degraded scan accuracy
Strong reflections on cube surfaces caused the scanner to misread colours and configurations, producing unreliable results under common lighting conditions.
Red and orange colour confusion
The image pipeline regularly confused adjacent hues on the colour wheel, making certain cube states impossible to scan correctly.
Deep shadows blocked extraction
In low-light conditions or under harsh directional light, deep shadows prevented the pipeline from correctly extracting meaningful visual information.
Cube size and shape variation
Non-standard cubes — with differently sized or shaped stickers — threw off detection logic built for uniform piece geometry.
The Solution

A redesigned pipeline — built for the real world, not ideal conditions

Gradient Insight systematically mapped every failure mode in the existing pipeline, then rebuilt it to handle the full spectrum of real-world scanning conditions — going beyond the brief to also shape product strategy with the 21Moves team.

Full analysis of the existing image processing pipeline to locate every failure mode

Redesigned pipeline with robust handling for glare, shadows, and colour ambiguity

Precision colour discrimination logic eliminating red/orange confusion across lighting conditions

Adaptive geometry handling for non-standard cube configurations and sticker sizes

Improved end-to-end reliability across a wider range of real-world scanning environments

Strategic product input beyond the brief — shaping the roadmap for scanner capabilities

The Results

A measurable lift in users, ratings, and market position

The improvements didn't just fix technical bugs — they unlocked a growth driver. With a scanner that works reliably across all conditions, 21Moves converted more users and solidified their position as a top-rated cube app.

60%→80%
Scanner success rate — up 20 points
Users who previously failed to scan their cube can now do so reliably. The improved pipeline handles glare, shadows, and unusual cube geometries with confidence.
500k+
App downloads and counting
The 21Moves Rubik's Cube solver has grown into one of the most downloaded cube apps on the market, with the improved CV scanner as a core differentiator.
4.7★
Average rating across 25k+ reviews
Sustained high ratings across a large review base reflect the reliability and polish users now experience — including through the computer vision scanner.
20%
Lift in scanner conversion
One in five additional users now completes a successful scan who couldn't before — directly driving engagement, retention, and word-of-mouth growth.
"They helped improve core aspects of our computer vision pipeline. Not only did they improve key functionality like glare detection, they provided a great sounding board for determining overall strategy with the product moving forward."
Nico Giraldo
Nico Giraldo
Founder & CEO · 21Moves
Technology Stack
Computer VisionImage ProcessingColour DetectionMobile CV PipelinePythonGlare CorrectionShadow RecoveryShape Normalisation
At a Glance
Client 21Moves
Industry Consumer Mobile App
Delivery CV Pipeline Redesign
Platform iOS & Android
Rating 4.7★ · 25k+ reviews

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"They helped improve core aspects of our computer vision pipeline. Not only did they improve key functionality like glare detection, they provided a great sounding board for determining overall strategy with the product moving forward. We were able to go from 60% of users successfully using our computer vision scanner, to 80%!"
Nico Giraldo
Nico Giraldo
Founder & CEO, 21Moves
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