People aren’t shy about complaining when they encounter a bad online experience. But what about truly exceptional online experiences? The ones that move us, make us laugh, or make us think? In our opinion, they too often go unnoticed. So let’s take a moment, shall we, to honor the very best ones of 2015:
FOR MAKING SOMEONE’S DAY
“Christmas Express” by Milka
Want to make someone smile? Send them a cute “letter” (via email) courtesy of Milka. The website allows you to select a template, type a note, and send it to a loved one. The beautiful winter wonderland theme doesn’t hurt, either.
SENDAMESSAGETO.com by WILd
Want to tell your friend to “rock on,” or feel like sending a high five to your co-worker who nailed that presentation? Head over to here to send a custom message (and a hand gesture) to your pal. And a variety of sentiments, not all of them necessarily supportive, are available (i.e. “f*** you” is an option.).
FOR channelling your creativity
Illusion arts magazine
Aside from its really cool content (street art from all over the world), Illusion also boasts a beautiful website. They use video to bring various kinds of street art, ranging from graffiti to street sculpture, to life. In the current banner, they’ve got a man spray painting into the camera. It’s pretty cool:
SPOTIFY’s YEAR IN MUSIC
Spotify uses beautiful design and elegant user experience to great effect, making it easy (and enjoyable) to explore your own musical tastes or dive into the most popular music of 2015. Popular songs, albums, and artists appear as you scroll down the page, allowing you to relive all of your favorites (and guilty pleasures) from the past year.
THE VEGAN STONER
Eternally hungry? That makes two of us. Get your vegan on with recipes from The Vegan Stoner. There are no gimmicks here; just really awesome illustrations and meat- and dairy-free recipes.
For Getting Sh*t Done
ALFRED SERVICE
Need some help in the laundry department? Alfred is your guy. The dry-cleaning enterprise takes an age-old service and makes it fun again with an incredibly fun and interactive site. Scroll down to explore.
FOR getting inspired
local eyes project
As someone who has tangoed quite a bit with wanderlust, I find the Local Eyes Project enchanting. You can travel through North and South America through the (camera) lens of people who live there. You’ll find photos from people in Anchorage, Alaska, Campo Grande, Brazil, Vancouver, Canada, and many more exotic, beautiful locales. It’s the perfect little escape from your day-to-day routine.
TAKE YOUR DOSE
Ready for an adventure? Break out of your comfort zone a 360 degree interactive journey with Youri Zoon, kitesurf world champion, and Oculus Rift.
fly like rufus
Have you ever dreamed of flying? Here’s your chance. Fly over the courts of Wimbledon in this flight simulation experience, a very smart branded online experience by Stella Artois.
for learning
WIKIWAND
Are you a Wikipedia fan? Check out their Wikiwand reader for web and mobile. You’ll notice an easy-to-use table of contents in the left nav bar and you’ll have the ability to personalize the appearance of the Wikipedia articles you read. You can also bookmark articles for when you’re at work and probably shouldn’t be catching up on the latest in bumblebee research.
species in pieces
The “In Pieces” project was launched to bring the plight of 30 endangered animals to life. The designer, Bryan James, created the project to issue a “reminder of the beauty we are on the verge of losing.”
Climate Under Pressure
That whole climate change thing? Probably wouldn’t hurt to learn about it. Explore the climate stories of six individuals around the world and learn about our environment in the process. As you move through the game, your choices determine the fate of the characters. No pressure.
FOR KILLING TIME
HAPPY PEAR
This is by far the weirdest site on this list. Here’s your chance to make a pear yodel. Have at it.
