Nordic Theory Labs is a Stockholm software studio. We make a small number of products with unreasonable care, write what we learn in between, and try not to ship things we wouldn't use ourselves.
We met at a company that shipped fast and apologised slowly. We left because we wanted to spend more time on fewer things — to take a problem we cared about, study it for as long as it needed, and then put one good thing into the world. Not three okay things. Not a platform. One.
The first thing we picked was the Swedish driving theory test. It is a small, well-defined problem with a lot of bad existing software around it, and it personally annoyed both of us. We spent fourteen months on it. 48,000 students have now passed using it.
That is the only thing we have shipped. We are okay with that. The studio is built so we never have to ship anything else until it is also worth shipping.
Designs the question pool, the schedule, and almost everything you see on screen. Previously interaction design at Spotify and faculty at Hyper Island. Reads more about pedagogy than is strictly reasonable.
One app a year. No platform, no expansion roadmap, no second product until the first is finished. Restraint is a feature.
No streaks designed to manipulate. No notifications begging for re-engagement. No paywalls behind common sense. You can leave at any time.
If a decision was hard, the post-mortem is published. The blog is not marketing; it is an obligation of the studio.
Funded by Körkort Hero, by us, and by a small grant from Vinnova in 2024. We answer to the people who use the app, not to anyone else.
The long-form study guide on the blog becomes the studio's most-read piece by week two.
Körkort Hero crosses 48,000 passed students with zero paid acquisition.
The pool is translated into Tigrinya, Pashto, and Dari in collaboration with three refugee-aid organisations.
Shipped to the App Store and Google Play after a 14-month build.
A small early-stage grant covers the first six months of the build.
Nordic Theory Labs AB registered in Stockholm. Two people, one room, one rented Volvo.
Press, partnerships, work with us, or just a thoughtful email. We read everything. Response time is <48 hours on weekdays.