Every tutorial on Origami Squad is folded and timed by real people before it is published. This page explains exactly how.
Fold time
Our author folds the model until the steps are clean and repeatable. Then three testers fold it from our photos alone. We start a stopwatch at the first fold and stop it when the model is finished. We publish the median of the three times and note the range.
Difficulty
- Easy: basic valley and mountain folds, at most a few simple squash or reverse folds, and about 15 steps or fewer. Good for first-time folders.
- Intermediate: starts from a standard base such as the bird or waterbomb base and uses petal folds, reverse folds or simple sinks that take some practice. Usually 15 to 40 steps.
- Advanced: long sequences, open or closed sinks, precise reference points, collapses of several creases at once, or many modular units. Best once intermediate models feel comfortable.
Paper tests
When we compare papers, we fold the same set of models with each one: a crane, a box and a model with a sink. We use at least three sheets of each paper and score crease memory (does a crease stay sharp), tearing where many layers meet, color on both sides, and whether the sheets are square and match the size on the pack.
Paper airplane flight tests
Every design in a comparison is folded from the same paper, named on the page. The same person throws each design at least ten times in the same indoor space with no fans or open windows. We measure distance with a tape measure from the throwing line to where the plane first touches the floor, time the flight with a stopwatch, and report the median throw.
Who tests
Each tutorial names the people who tested it.