Design Experiments
The Design Experiments plugin is a tool for prototyping designs within the context of WP-Admin. It contains a number of proof of concepts that the WordPress Design Team is exploring.
Consider an alternative
Design Experiments shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 7 years ago, and scores 31/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (20+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 7 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.2 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Design Experiments stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| design | >100 |
| experiments | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
About Design Experiments
From the official readme · v1.3Description
The Design Experiments plugin is a tool for prototyping designs within the context of WP-Admin. It contains a number of proof of concepts that the WordPress Design Team is exploring.
An important disclaimer: This plugin is called experimental for a reason. It is for testing concepts, and is not intended for use on a production site. These experiments may hide or visually break functionality in the admin area. Some of the experiments may break after a while, and will be removed from the plugin. Do not rely on this plugin for permanent changes to your site.
Installation
- Upload the plugin files to the
/wp-content/plugins/plugin-namedirectory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress
- Use the Settings->Design Experiments screen to activate an experiment.
Changelog
1.3
- Adds the “Darker Field Borders and New Buttons (Alternate)” experiment.
- Adds the “New Colors” experiment.
1.2
- Adds the “Darker Field Borders and New Buttons” experiment.
1.1
- Adds the Animated Menu Hovers experiment.
1.0
- Initial release. Includes experiments for larger font sizes, Gutenberg-style form fields, an updated header treatment throughout WP-Admin, and a dark mode.
Screenshots
For developers
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Best Design Experiments alternatives
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FAQ
Design Experiments: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 2, 2026
Is Design Experiments free?
Yes. Design Experiments is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Design Experiments safe to use in 2026?
Design Experiments shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 7 years ago, and scores 31/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Design Experiments?
Design Experiments is active on 20+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 17,281 times since it launched in June 2019. It was downloaded 117 times in the last 30 days.
Does Design Experiments work with WordPress 7.1?
Design Experiments is officially tested up to WordPress 5.2.28, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Design Experiments need?
Design Experiments requires PHP 5.2.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Design Experiments last updated?
The latest version, 1.3, was released on September 9, 2019 (7 years ago).
Who makes Design Experiments?
Design Experiments is developed and maintained by Kjell Reigstad.
What are the best alternatives to Design Experiments?
The most popular alternatives to Design Experiments are Layout Grid Block (200K+ installs), Visual CSS Style Editor (30K+ installs) and Child Theme Creator by Orbi… (10K+ installs).
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