Candidate Pattern↗
Price as Mechanic
The pricing rule is visible, participatory, and central to the experience.
5 casesExplore pattern →
A FIELD GUIDE FOR BUILDERS
Broken
Defaults.
Real things people built by questioning the obvious rules.
See how they worked, why they mattered, and what you can borrow.
01 / REAL CASES02 / ASSUMPTION SHIFTS03 / REUSABLE QUESTIONS
START WITH YOUR PROBLEM
What are you
working with?
Search real cases and candidate patterns. We show gaps honestly.
REPEATED MECHANISMS
Patterns worth testing
These are candidate patterns drawn from multiple cases. They are starting points for inquiry, not rules to copy.
Candidate Pattern↗
Symbolic Ownership
A public claim can be meaningful without conveying legal ownership.
5 casesExplore pattern →
Candidate Pattern↗
Shared Object
Many visitors change or explore the same persistent artifact.
3 casesExplore pattern →
Candidate Pattern↗
Constraint as Product
A simple rule limits the experience and gives it character.
7 casesExplore pattern →
Candidate Pattern↗
Built-in Distribution
Participation gives users a concrete reason to bring in other people.
2 casesExplore pattern →
REAL THINGS, EXPLAINED
Start with a case
Interaction↗
Destroy Any Website
A browser game turns an address into a destructible play space.
CuriosityRead case →
Social↗
Slowly
A pen-pal app makes delivery time part of the conversation.
Pattern ExampleRead case →
Pricing↗
outbid.lol
A public ranking makes payment the rule of the game.
Pattern ExampleRead case →
Social↗
One Million Checkboxes
One million simple controls became a shared global canvas.
Pattern ExampleRead case →
Technical↗
Fugleramme
A local bird detector makes an e-ink frame reflect nearby wildlife.
Technical ProofRead case →
Interaction↗
diiverge.co
A single picture branches into a persistent world that visitors shape.
Pattern ExampleRead case →
Pricing↗
Auraclip Group Drop
A content drop becomes cheaper for everyone as more fans join.
Pattern ExampleRead case →
Curiosity↗
Anycrap
An online shop turns impossible product searches into playful concepts.
CuriosityRead case →