r/assholedesign

287K archived posts · Sep 2014 – Sep 2026

When Assholes Design Things

r/assholedesign

Archived posts from r/assholedesign, Sep 2014 to Sep 2026.

Created Sep 21, 2014

3MMembers (last snapshot)

287KArchived posts

For when the designers know exactly what they're doing... but they don't care because they're assholes.

This is a subreddit for designs specifically crafted to make the experience worse for the user. This can be due to greed, apathy, laziness or just downright scumbaggery.

Check out r/Clickshaming and r/AntiAssholeDesign as well!

###Rules

#####1. Must Abide by Hanlon's Razor.

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Usually, bad things happen not because of bad intentions, but because of bad planning. Asshole designs are specifically engineered to exploit the user for profit. Try to think what the designer would gain from deceiving the user, and if it's likely to be an oversight on their part rather than an intentional design. For common topics that fall under this rule, check our wiki.

https://reddit.com/r/assholedesign/wiki/hanlonsrazor

#####2. No, It's Not Literal.

"Haha, so it's like an actual asshole in r/AssholeDesign, right?" STOP! Don't post dicks or butts to this sub. You're not being clever. The joke is dead. This rule is strictly enforced, and breaking it will lead to an immediate 7-day ban.

#####3. Don't be Subtle.

Please make it obvious what you’re trying to highlight. A clear and concise post title can go a long way.

If this is the reason why your post was removed, we don't know what we're supposed to be seeing.

#####4. Common topics.

To keep the subreddit's content fresh, we remove common topics and designs that have recently been posted by other users. For a list of retired topics that fall under this rule, check our wiki.

https://reddit.com/r/assholedesign/wiki/common_topics

#####5. Posts must display aspects of design.

If your post doesn't talk about the way something is designed, don't post it here.

#####6. No low effort content.

Please put some thought into your post and how you present the "asshole design" in it. Also, make sure your title is relevant to the post and descriptive of the design. Make it easy to read, don't make it overly lengthy.

###Guidelines

#####1. We're not limited to programming.

Asshole design goes beyond the computer screen. Some of our best posts have been from non-technical stuff.

#####2. You can post positive things, too!

Informational videos demonstrating malicious techniques, resources for combating assholedesign, etc. are all completely acceptable.

#####3. Satire and Lampshade Hanging is acceptable if tagged appropriately.

Satire is ridicule of asshole design techniques, and should be tagged under the "Satire" flair. Lampshade Hanging is subversion of asshole design techniques and should be tagged under "Lampshading".

#####4. Bots & novelty accounts are subject to arbitrary bans.

Some users have issued concerns regarding certain bots and their use as a constructive part of Reddit. Some bots might be banned, others may be allowed to stay. This rule will be enforced on a case-by case basis.

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