AltFTool Labs: interactive experiences explained
AltFTool Labs at /labs collects free interactive browser experiences in three groups: Create & experiment, Explore & discover, and Play & focus. They open without an account; successful experiments graduate into core products, as the tool directory, blog and news did.
Updated 4 min read
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What Labs is
Labs is where AltFTool tries ideas that are more playful or exploratory than a utility. Each experience is its own page, opens in a normal browser and needs no account. Some are finished products in their own right; others are earlier experiments.
Labs is a good place to start when you want something to do rather than a job to finish: sketch a plan, take a short quiz, play a quick game or browse a topic. Everything stays inside AltFTool, and the header's Labs menu links to each experience directly.
When an experiment proves useful it graduates out of Labs. The tool directory, the blog and news all started this way and are now core parts of the platform.
Create and experiment
- SketchFlow: map ideas, user journeys and lightweight diagrams on an infinite canvas.
- Mockly: create clearly labelled social-media mockups for demos, stories and prototypes.
- Maker Studio: make playful posters, newspaper clippings, scene cards and character graphics.
- TemplateForge: browse website designs, preview them interactively and download complete blueprints.
Explore and discover
Labs also links to standalone destinations such as Detour, AltFLang, Talk n Learn and the weather experience.
- FactNet: original topic guides and concise facts in clear categories.
- Name Origins: the meaning, origin and cultural story behind a name.
Play and focus
- Personality Lab: quick reflective quizzes across different personality dimensions.
- Games Arcade: quick browser games grouped by puzzle, arcade, word, board and casual play.
- Story Reader: serialised stories organised by chapter.
- Fun Friday Ideas: team games, icebreakers and office challenges filtered by team size, budget, energy and time.
- Pranx Studio: harmless simulated screens for demos and good-natured jokes.
Accessibility and feedback
Several Labs experiences have their own visual style, but they are built to the same accessibility goals as the rest of the site, described in the accessibility guide. Canvas-based experiences such as SketchFlow work best with a mouse or trackpad on a larger screen. If an experience breaks or you have an idea for a new one, use report a bug or request a tool.
Tools used in this guide
- Flow Chart MakerCreate flowcharts with ease and share them with your team.
- 2048 GameMerge tiles to reach 2048 in this classic sliding puzzle game.
- Word SearchPlay word search puzzles online free — themed word lists, three grid sizes, and drag-to-select letters.
- Word Scramble GameUnscramble timed word puzzles at three difficulty levels, with hints, streaks and a shareable seed that reproduces the same game.
- Text to ASCII ArtTurns typed text into large ASCII banner letters from a 5 by 7 bitmap font, with a choice of ink character, letter spacing and drop shadow.
Frequently asked questions
Do Labs experiences need an account?
No. Every Labs experience opens in a normal browser without signing in.
What does it mean when an experiment graduates?
It moves out of Labs to become a core product with its own top-level home. The tool directory, blog and news are past graduates.
Where are the browser games?
Games live in the Games category of the tool directory at /tools/games, which is linked from Labs as Games Arcade.