Node
Product thinking
Start with the value shift an idea should create, then shape everything else around that.
Personal Lab
Thorarinn Johannsson
Product designer and builder working where product thinking, systems, AI tools, and meaningful technology meet.
This site is a designed working surface rather than a traditional portfolio. It is a place to show how I think, what I am good at, and the experiments currently pulling my attention.
Current mode Calm + Curious
Make complexity feel calm.
Prototype early, refine with intent.
Use technology as material, not decoration.
Prefer systems that age well.
Exploring how good product judgment, careful interfaces, and modern tooling can turn complexity into something people actually want to use.
How I Think
A structured way of working through ambiguous product and technology problems.
Less a skill list, more the operating system behind the work.
Node
Systems thinking
See products as linked behaviors across interface, architecture, workflow, and team decisions.
Node
Interaction design
Use movement, hierarchy, and feedback to make dense tools feel intuitive and steady.
Node
AI experimentation
Explore where AI changes the shape of useful products rather than adding surface-level novelty.
Node
Fast prototyping
Build enough of the real thing to learn quickly without losing the original sharpness of the idea.
Node
Clarity in complexity
Reduce tangled systems into interfaces, language, and flows that feel easier than they are.
Node
Taste and craft
Care about details because they shape trust, rhythm, and whether a product feels intentional.
Node
Outcome focus
Use design and technology to create movement, not just polished artifacts.
Capabilities
Core strengths represented as product building blocks, not resume bullets.
What I tend to bring into a project when the brief is still messy and the answer is not obvious.
Product strategy
Shaping direction, priorities, and useful tradeoffs while the problem is still forming.
UX design
Designing flows and interfaces that stay clear even when the system behind them is not.
Design systems
Creating reusable structure without draining the product of personality or edge.
AI-assisted workflows
Turning models, prompts, and automation into practical tools for real tasks.
Rapid prototyping
Moving from rough thinking to interactive artifacts quickly enough to change the conversation.
Product experimentation
Using small tests and deliberate constraints to find better product directions.
Simplifying complexity
Translating dense processes into calmer decisions, better language, and cleaner interfaces.
Latest Tests
The playground is empty for now, on purpose.
I have not published any experiments yet. When the first tests are ready, they will appear here as a running log of prototypes, tools, and interface explorations.
No entries yet
The lab is being assembled before it goes live.
The structure is ready, but I am leaving this intentionally blank until there is something worth showing. Expect prototypes, AI workflows, small tools, and interface studies to land here over time.
status: waiting for first publish
next: prototype, tool, or concept note
location: /playground
Explore More
The playground is the main event.
That is where prototypes, AI workflows, UI studies, and concept explorations live as a growing system. It is meant to feel alive, not finished.