Critical Web Design Index v.1
→ all → All projects
a.aaaarg.org (2005) ❌
Aaronson Oracle (2019)
Aaronson Oracle (2016)
abstractbrowsing.net (2014) Abstract Browsing is a browser extension that transforms all block-level elements on every webpage into colorful abstract patterns.
add-art.org (2011)
akinator.com (2007)
alexagate.com (2020)
anatomyof.ai (2018)
anthology.rhizome.org (1984)
antirobocall.com (2022)
antisoftware.club (2023)
Anycast Thought Stream (2009) 😿 Anycast was a wifi network that was free to use once users shared a short bit of text. The resulting comments, thoughts, and other random messages from nearby users streamed on the wifi landing page and in the gallery.
asdfg (1999)
bangbangcon.com (2014) !!Con (pronounced “bang bang con”) is one day conference and workshop to celebrate the joyous, exciting, and surprising moments in computing.
biglongnow.com (2006)
Binary Music Player (2019)
Binky (2017) 
Binky is a mobile application that works like other social media apps, except all the content you see, like, or comment is completely random.
Binky is a mobile application that works like other social media apps, except all the content you see, like, or comment is completely random. boringboringboring.com (2018)
Browser Surprise (2016)
brutalistwebsites.com (2014)
cantunsee.space 
cantunsee.space presents users with different designs containing basic to advanced usability, accessibility, and design practice issues. The examples explain why one is correct over the other, increase in difficulty as they progress, and award correct guesses.
cantunsee.space presents users with different designs containing basic to advanced usability, accessibility, and design practice issues. The examples explain why one is correct over the other, increase in difficulty as they progress, and award correct guesses. 
cat-bounce.com (2012)
cdgrandprix.com (2022) 
In C&D Grand Prix, the art collective MSCHF created 8 shirt designs that used companies’ logos without permission. They then sent letters to the companies to see which would be the first to send a C&D ("Cease & Desist") notice demanding they stop using the logo. Meanwhile, they sold the shirts, allowing anyone to wager on which company would raise the specter of legal repercussions before the others. Whoever picked the winner also received a hat with their shirt.
In C&D Grand Prix, the art collective MSCHF created 8 shirt designs that used companies’ logos without permission. They then sent letters to the companies to see which would be the first to send a C&D ("Cease & Desist") notice demanding they stop using the logo. Meanwhile, they sold the shirts, allowing anyone to wager on which company would raise the specter of legal repercussions before the others. Whoever picked the winner also received a hat with their shirt. chairsimulator.com (2021)
checkbox.toys (2023)
checkboxrace.com (2021)
clickclickclick.click (2016) 
clickclickclick.click tallies the untold and revealing information that can be gathered as a user hovers over a button, clicks, or drags their cursor across the page. Rather than feeling in command, the user begins to feel watched and controlled as their every action is documented and fed back to them in an ongoing text. This critique of gamification employed across web and application design relies on our knowledge of the increasing manipulation and remarketing of human attention. Yet it presents an alternative that is not only clever, enjoyable, and educational, but public, immediate, and free to use and appreciate by anyone with a networked device.
clickclickclick.click tallies the untold and revealing information that can be gathered as a user hovers over a button, clicks, or drags their cursor across the page. Rather than feeling in command, the user begins to feel watched and controlled as their every action is documented and fed back to them in an ongoing text. This critique of gamification employed across web and application design relies on our knowledge of the increasing manipulation and remarketing of human attention. Yet it presents an alternative that is not only clever, enjoyable, and educational, but public, immediate, and free to use and appreciate by anyone with a networked device. colorandcontrast.com (2024)
Content Moderator Sim (2020) Mark Sample’s interactive fiction Content Moderator Sim was made with Twine, an open-source software tool used to create hypertext games and interactive fiction
creativeapplications.net (2008)
criticalengineering.org (2011)
Dark Content (2015)
datawillhelp.us (2013)
degenerative (2005)
delocator.net (2005)
designmanifestos.org (2019)
dhawards.org (2012)
Die With Me (2018–2023)
Do Not Track documentary (2015)
donottouch.org (2013)
Dragons (2013)
Ebay Feedback Generator (2005)
edibleflowersalphabet.com (2019)
elgoog.im (2002)
Eliza (1999) ELIZA is a computer program that emulates a Rogerian psychotherapist. When the original ELIZA first appeared in the 60's, some people actually mistook her for human. The illusion of intelligence works best, however, if you limit your conversation to talking about yourself and your life.
endless.horse (2015) endless.horse depicts an ASCII art horse with legs that automatically grow as users scroll. Created during the Stupid Shit No One Needs & Terrible Ideas Hackathon.
Ethical Ad-blocker (2015)
exhaustingacrowd.com (2015) 
Exhausting a Crowd is a web application that depicts detailed security camera footage upon which website visitors can add annotations synced with both the imagery and the time code of the video. The crowdsourced text laid over the 12 hours of repeating footage from various sites offers curious commentary which perfectly balances the opposing forces of surveillance vs privacy, looking vs being seen, and control vs pleasure that defines our information culture and public spaces.
Exhausting a Crowd is a web application that depicts detailed security camera footage upon which website visitors can add annotations synced with both the imagery and the time code of the video. The crowdsourced text laid over the 12 hours of repeating footage from various sites offers curious commentary which perfectly balances the opposing forces of surveillance vs privacy, looking vs being seen, and control vs pleasure that defines our information culture and public spaces. Facebook Demetricator (2012)
fatfingerjs (2017)
freebrowser.org A safe, stable and completely free browser with built-in censorship circumvention via VPN.
Freedom (2011)
Friend Crawl (2013)
fromthedarkpast.com (2009) ❌
Generation Loss (2011)
Generative Unfoldings (2021)
geogoo.net (2008) 
GeoGoo by Jodi (Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans) is a wonderfully chaotic series of animations using the default icons of the Google Map API. Users can select from the dropdown options or simply refresh the page to load new iterations that visualize mathematical functions, symbols, or completely random designs across a variety of terrains and lunar surfaces. *While offline for a period, the site (thankfully) is live again.
GeoGoo by Jodi (Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans) is a wonderfully chaotic series of animations using the default icons of the Google Map API. Users can select from the dropdown options or simply refresh the page to load new iterations that visualize mathematical functions, symbols, or completely random designs across a variety of terrains and lunar surfaces. *While offline for a period, the site (thankfully) is live again. givepulse.com (2011)
Go Rando (2017)
Going down (2002)
Google Maps Hacks (2020)
Google Will Eat Itself (2005)
greatfire.org/analyzer (2011) 
The greatfire.org/analyzer uses servers across mainland China to provide real-time information about domain and keyword censorship in the PRC.
The greatfire.org/analyzer uses servers across mainland China to provide real-time information about domain and keyword censorship in the PRC. greatfirewallofchina.org 😿
guessthepin.com (2024)
heeeeeeeey.com (2011)
humanerr.org 
humanerr.org by Jonah Brucker-Cohen consists of software and hardware devices that integrate elements of human error into their design to provoke and materialize human frailty.
humanerr.org by Jonah Brucker-Cohen consists of software and hardware devices that integrate elements of human error into their design to provoke and materialize human frailty. hybridmoment.com (2009)
I Feel Love For Others (2019)
iknowwhereyourcatlives.com (2014)
imhereandthere.com (2011)
intermediaart/archive (Tate Modern)
Internet Archaeology (2009) 😿
intotime.com (2010)
jellotime.com (2007) ❌
jesus.shoes (2019)
Kern Type (2011)
KRILLER (2023)
Lamp (2017)
Lightyear.fm (2015)
Locomotive (2019)
lowtechmagazine.com 
Low-tech Magazine is an online publication that questions the value of technological progress, describes the potentials of often forgotten tech, and promotes sustainable energy practices. Unlike the mind-numbing megawatts required for server farms and data centers used by Amazon, Instagram, and TikTok, Low-tech focused on efficiency in their design by removing advertising and using a static site generator (Hugo), allowing them to power their server using a single 50W solar panel.
Low-tech Magazine is an online publication that questions the value of technological progress, describes the potentials of often forgotten tech, and promotes sustainable energy practices. Unlike the mind-numbing megawatts required for server farms and data centers used by Amazon, Instagram, and TikTok, Low-tech focused on efficiency in their design by removing advertising and using a static site generator (Hugo), allowing them to power their server using a single 50W solar panel. Magic Nub (2017)
Minimal Wim (2019)
Mirror (2017)
moralmachine.net (2016–2020)
native-land.ca Native Land Digital is a web-based application that maps Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages. Visitors can filter information and browse an interactive map, access educational resources about colonialism and indigeneity, and connect with indigenous communities around the world.
networkeffect.io (2015) Network Effect explores the psychological effects of Internet use on humanity.
New Ways of Seeing (2019)
Non Views (2017)
onamountaintop.com (2010) 
Onamountaintop.com allows users to say whatever it is they want to say with no accounts, no friends and no poking. Once the user’s entry fades to white, their words are gone forever. Just as one’s voice echoes into the valley from a mountain top.
Onamountaintop.com allows users to say whatever it is they want to say with no accounts, no friends and no poking. Once the user’s entry fades to white, their words are gone forever. Just as one’s voice echoes into the valley from a mountain top. onlybags.biz (2022)
Opinions Are My Own (2016)
patatap.com (2014)
pmcwagner.art (2023)
poem.town (2023)
portraitofawebserver.com (2017) ❌
Progress (2022)
queeringthemap.com (2018) 
Queering the Map is a community-generated cartographic archive of queer experience. Created by Lucas LaRochelle, the site catalogs, preserves, and locates the experiences of queer life, including encounters, collective action, and stories of coming out.
Queering the Map is a community-generated cartographic archive of queer experience. Created by Lucas LaRochelle, the site catalogs, preserves, and locates the experiences of queer life, including encounters, collective action, and stories of coming out. Random Darknet Shopper (2014–2016)
Random Shopper (2012)
Rigged Systems (2019)
rrrgggbbb.com (2011)
sacredseltzer.com (2022)
Safebook (2018) 
Ben Grosser creates browser extensions that modify the content you see on Facebook and other social media websites to question how those technologies influence us. His Safebook extension removes all content from Facebook, leaving an empty shell to remind users of the importance of their free labor to the company's bottom line. Likewise, his "Facebook Demetricator" extension removes the metrics on posts that drive participation and engagement and focus on gamification of interpersonal communication. As with all browser extensions, these modifications are performed using Javascript, but only within the browsers (client) of users who install the extension.
Ben Grosser creates browser extensions that modify the content you see on Facebook and other social media websites to question how those technologies influence us. His Safebook extension removes all content from Facebook, leaving an empty shell to remind users of the importance of their free labor to the company's bottom line. Likewise, his "Facebook Demetricator" extension removes the metrics on posts that drive participation and engagement and focus on gamification of interpersonal communication. As with all browser extensions, these modifications are performed using Javascript, but only within the browsers (client) of users who install the extension. satan.shoes (2021)
Scaremail (2013)
scrollbarcomposition.com (2000)
seeclickfix.com (2008)
SelfControl An application to block access to the distractions of modern life.
severedspots.com (2020)
Shredder (1998)
singleservingsites.cool (2024)
Site Shaker (2018)
SITE1 (2023)
smashthewalls.com (2018)
smiling face withface (2015)
sociality.today (2018)
SOMEONE (2019)
Species in Pieces (2015)
speedshow.net (2010)
spotthetroll.org (2020)
stagnationmeansdecline.com (2002)
StayFocused A Chrome extension for blocking annoying or addicting websites.
stupidhackathon.com (2017) A one-day event where participants conceptualize and create projects that have no value whatsoever.
Subservient Chicken 😿
superfund365.org (2015) 🗄
Tally Saves the Internet (2021) Tally Saves the Internet is a browser extension that transforms data advertisers collect into a multiplayer game
tarotobot-reboot.illo.tv (2019)
The Bézier Game (2014)
The Deletionist (2013)
The Facebook Papers (2021)
The Garden of Emoji Delights (2014)
The Nonsense Laboratory (2021)
The Oracle of Bacon (1996)
The Refugee Project (2014) (Hyperakt) VIsualization of the origins and destinations of refugees around the world
The Wiki Game (2009)
thecolourclock.com (2019)
thefreemovie.buzz (2023)
theinternet.express (2017)
thenicestplace.net (2011) 
thenicestplace.net plays videos of people around the world giving virtual hugs to visitors, countering the commerciality and pessimism so commonly found online.
thenicestplace.net plays videos of people around the world giving virtual hugs to visitors, countering the commerciality and pessimism so commonly found online. theuselessweb.com (2012)
thezen.zone (2018)
thisartworkdoesnotexist.com (2020) ❌
thisisours.us (2020) ❌
thisxdoesnotexist.com (2019)
timesnewerroman.com (2019)
tosdr.org (2012) Terms of Service; Didn't Read (a play on TL;DR) aims to fix the biggest lie on the internet, “I have read and agree to the Terms” through a series of pages, classifications, and information about popular websites and their data practices.
Troll the NSA (2013)
u-infinity (2017)
ubu.com (1996)
Under the Cloud (2020)
unfitbits.com (2015) 
unfitbits.com helps users create spoof fitness data to protect their personal information from the digital surveillance of insurance companies.
unfitbits.com helps users create spoof fitness data to protect their personal information from the digital surveillance of insurance companies. universitytitlegenerator.com (2016) A damning indictment of the corporatization of higher education, or career finder? You decide!
untitled scroll #2 (2007)
userinyerface.com (2019)
vaiavanti.com (2006)
Very Interactive (2014) "A living resource generated through the ongoing teaching practice of Laurel Schwulst. It archives materials for web visitors and students past, present, & future."
Vote Auction (2000)
washing machine (2017)
we-link.chronusartcenter.org (2020)
web.leegte.org (2023) 
Web is a generative cross-linked network of 1000 web pages. The entire network of pages can be explored through the links contained in each page, using any page as a starting point. In addition to each generated and unique composition, which includes its color palette, interface composition, and even favicon, each document is "on the chain", meaning the code for the generated network could be accessed from any single blockchain record. "Web is not a utility, but an expression of the machine."
Web is a generative cross-linked network of 1000 web pages. The entire network of pages can be explored through the links contained in each page, using any page as a starting point. In addition to each generated and unique composition, which includes its color palette, interface composition, and even favicon, each document is "on the chain", meaning the code for the generated network could be accessed from any single blockchain record. "Web is not a utility, but an expression of the machine." Web2.0 Suicide Machine (2010) ❌
webkay.robinlinus.com (2016)
wefeelfine.org (2006) 😿 We Feel Fine (2006) by Jonathan Harris and Sep Kamvar is an interactive exploration of human emotion through large-scale data analysis
whitepowermilk.com (2011) ❌
wholeearth.info (2021)
Wikileaks: A Love Story (2016)
Wikipedia Loops (2009)
worldswritingsystems.org 
worldswritingsystems.org presents one reference glyph and basic information for each of the world’s writing systems. It is part of Missing Scripts Project, an initiative that aims to identify writing systems not yet encoded in the Unicode standard. Currently, 131 scripts are not yet encoded in Unicode. They can’t be used on the computer.
worldswritingsystems.org presents one reference glyph and basic information for each of the world’s writing systems. It is part of Missing Scripts Project, an initiative that aims to identify writing systems not yet encoded in the Unicode standard. Currently, 131 scripts are not yet encoded in Unicode. They can’t be used on the computer. 
You Are Jeff Bezos (2019)
zoomescaper.com (2021) Zoom Escaper is a tool by Sam Lavigne to help you escape Zoom meetings and other videoconferencing scenarios by self-sabotaging your own audio stream. Once you enable it you can fine-tune your interruptions on the site, adding an echo, choppiness, or even sound effects like "construction", "upset baby", or "man weeping".
ZXX (2012)