Not everything you build needs to be clean, scalable, or even sane.
Some projects are better when you cut corners. They’re fun, fast, and remind you why you started coding in the first place. No TypeScript. No tests. No CI/CD. Just chaos and dopamine.
Here are five ideas that get better the less “correct” you try to be.
1. The Janky Personal Homepage
A single HTML file. Inline styles. Maybe a GIF background for nostalgia.
Add a <marquee>, an auto-playing MIDI, or a weird easter egg that only works in Firefox.
Build it bad because: it’s yours. No one else gets a say.
2. A To-Do App in a Single File
Use localStorage. Forget user accounts. No framework, no build step.
Just a <ul> that updates when you click stuff and disappears if you clear your cookies.
Build it bad because: it’s a rite of passage — and a reminder that not everything needs a backend.
3. A Terrible AI Chatbot
Use fetch() and slap a <textarea> on the page. Don’t debounce. Don’t style it.
Wire it to an API and let it ramble. Add a “jailbreak” button that doesn’t do anything.
Build it bad because: it’s funny. Bonus points if you train it on your own tweets.
4. A Fake Startup Landing Page
Pick a fake product name. Write buzzword soup. Add stock photos and a “Join Waitlist” button that saves to a Google Sheet.
Build it bad because: it’s a playground for design, copywriting, and delusion.
5. A Game That Breaks Itself
Hardcode the game loop. Forget edge cases. Let the enemy spawn inside walls.
You’re not shipping a polished product — you’re exploring what happens.
Build it bad because: constraints are where creativity hides.
Motto to Remember
If you never build something bad, you’ll never build something good.