For the last seven years, I have written an annual review of the year that past. It’s been a summary of what I’ve done, music I’ve listened to, places I’ve visited and so forth. I won’t be doing that this year. During 2018 I’ve found myself wanting to share less in public forums. I feel distinctly different about it now compared to previous years. Sometimes it feels like I’m contributing to a bigger whole that […]
Along side my practice, I have spent the past few months working together with a great team to create a new type of product in the mental health space. Since I spent seven years working with kids, it seemed only right that I should work with parents this time around. The app is called Enjo, and we are launching today. Enjo offers instant emotional support to parents. It does that by helping you reflect on […]
San Francisco, 2012. I had just moved from Sweden to set up the US office for Toca Boca. Part of the reason for choosing this part of the US was the proximity to Apple. We needed to get to know them, and we needed them to know us. On one of my first visits to Infinite Loop, I visited the store. As a long-time Mac user, this was an exciting moment. I bought a water […]
It’s now been five months since I started my new practice. So, what have I actually been doing? Firstly, it’s been amazing to be free to pursue new opportunities and ideas again. I do my best work when I get into this flow. I can filter incoming things and seek out areas where I want to go without hinderances. Secondly, this newly found freedom has allowed me a much more flexible work style which has […]
I’m a big podcast listener. It’s a priority of mine. I thought I would share what I regularly listen to. Also – if you haven’t upgraded from Apple’s awful podcast app, this is the time to do so. I like Breaker and will be linking through them. Always Desert Island Discs, from BBC: A genius audio format that has been running since 1942 (yes, really). Wonderful interviews and the music tells a parallel story along […]
It can be hard to understand what the big platforms´ incentives and interests are. This is partly why designing platform strategies for your business so hard. Are you aligning with what they are doing right now, or where they are going? Can you afford to be opportunistic in the short term, even if the long term outlook is bleak? This is such a complicated question that Jan Koum, WhatsApp CEO and Facebook board member, found […]
While we’re on the topic of luxury, I found an interesting quote about that this morning. It illustrates the difficulties of scaling luxury brands, since they – in a sense – grow weaker with more customers. When designing with scarcity as a variable you are treading a very fine line. The same principle could be applied to information, which was what I was alluding to here. If everyone has it, it loses some of its […]
I wrote the post below 11 years ago – in 2007 – for a publication called David Report. I recently found it by accident and was struck by how some of these themes have continued with me since then. The thinking about specific, yet somewhat mundane, knowledge as a currency. As something valuable to trade, store, and use – and not to waste. Information wants to be free but getting there isn’t always a straight […]
It has been six months since I left Toca Boca, and it is time for my next chapter. Today, I am starting my own practice focused on digital strategy and consumer culture. I am interested in the near future and how to develop products and services that fit within it. I think this is best done by thoroughly understanding mobile and web, and adding to that a broader understanding of culture and its impact on […]
A few months ago, James Bridle wrote a widely spread Medium post about all of the awful things on YouTube Kids. It started an avalanche that is still rolling. Just the other day, Business Insider wrote that the app was recommending conspiracy videos to kids. This is of course terrible. But it is hardly a surprise. Anyone that has used the app for more than five minutes knows that it is full of material that […]
