Oslo Innovation Week:

In this session of Build to Last, the community came together to explore how product teams can ensure accessibility, usability, and empathy are built into every stage of development.

Through talks and discussions, participants gained insights into tools, methods, and real-world experiences for creating products that truly serve diverse user needs.

What Happened:

• User-centered insights: Kristian Aarseth (Aidn) shared how their team worked with doctors and nurses through user research, testing, and onboarding — emphasizing the importance of identifying real users and keeping solutions simple and safe.

• Designing for emergencies: Maria Ævarsdottir (Manyone) presented the Aidency project — a 113 emergency kit designed for public spaces, and highlighted why context, consequences, and real-world usability testing matter in critical scenarios.

• Diversity in practice: Sumeet Singh (Schibsted) addressed the role of diversity in building stronger teams, underlining that it’s about competence, curiosity, and broadening perspectives — not quota-based hiring.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify your real user, and remember that people in the same role can still have very different needs.

• Keep it simple, keep it safe. Pilots and early releases help, even if it’s never 100%.

• Context matters. Always test in real-world–like settings and consider the consequences of design decisions.

• Diversity is not about hiring yourself — be curious, conscious, and expand your circle.

Why It Mattered:

Inclusive product development goes beyond accessibility checklists. It requires empathy, contextual awareness, and diverse perspectives. This event highlighted practical strategies and inspiring cases that showed how intentional design choices can create products that are safer, more usable, and better aligned with the real needs of the people who depend on them.