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In a playful yet insightful critique of common user interface failures, the Bad UX World Cup invites developers to engineer date pickers that are technically functional but deliberately painful to use. Organized by Nordcraft, the contest emphasizes that submissions must allow users to select a date—no matter how convoluted the process—while maximizing frustration through poor design choices.

"The worse, the better," states the contest brief, encouraging participants to push boundaries in creating interfaces that defy usability conventions. Submissions can use any technology stack and must be hosted on a publicly accessible URL for judging.

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Why Celebrate Bad Design?

This satirical competition serves a serious purpose: it underscores how seemingly minor UI components can profoundly impact user experience. By intentionally inverting best practices, developers gain visceral insight into:
1. Cognitive Load: How overly complex interactions overwhelm users.
2. Accessibility Failures: Why intuitive controls matter for inclusivity.
3. Technical Feats: The engineering required to build functional anti-patterns.

Notable inspirations include a binary search date picker (requiring users to halve date ranges repeatedly) and an AI date picker that likely overcomplicates selection with unnecessary automation.

The Prize: A Trophy for Terribleness

Winners receive a


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—a framed golden toilet trophy adorned with UI components (toggle, slider, checkbox, radio button)—etched with "BAD UX WORLD CHAMPION." It’s a humorous yet pointed reminder that while developers *can* build something, they *shouldn’t*. 
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The Bigger Picture

Beyond the laughs, the contest highlights a critical truth in software development: UX isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about empathy. Forcing developers to weaponize frustration fosters deeper appreciation for clean, intuitive design. As one glance at Salma’s distressed expression in contest graphics confirms


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, bad UX isn’t just inefficient—it’s emotionally taxing.

Entries close via the Bad UX World Cup portal. Whether you compete or spectate, the results promise painful inspiration for anyone building interfaces.

Source: Bad UX World Cup