axbom.com / axbom.se

Publication

Organization: Blog and newsletter
Years: 1997–2026

My blog and newsletter on the human impact of tech, with essays on digital ethics, UX, accessibility and the real-world consequences of design decisions. I started writing online in diary form in 1997, a few years before the word “blog” was coined. Today I publish in English (axbom.com) and Swedish (axbom.se), with nearly 1,000 posts between them.

The newsletter goes out every other week: My Next Heartbeat in English, with 2,400+ subscribers, and Mitt nästa hjärtslag in Swedish, with 2,000+ subscribers.
Popular early on: “The difference between an interaction designer and a user experience designer” (2011).
A 2013 series on accessibility, “Koll på tillgänglighet”, grew into the free e-book and website Digital tillgänglighet (digitill.se), a Swedish introduction to WCAG.
Templates and models shared freely and widely used: from a 2009 mini guide to answering comments about your company online, via the Inclusive Panda (2018), to Explaining responsibility, impact and power in AI (2023).
No tracking, no cookies and no ads – only anonymous visitor statistics on my own domain: “A voice means infinitely more to me than a bar graph.”
Bought axbom.com in 1997 and added axbom.se in 2001.

What people said

I just want to say thank you for your insightful and important newsletter! Thank you for always striving for collective improvement. Your experience and knowledge is invaluable to someone like me, who is new to the industry.

— H.J., newsletter reader

I work in the field of medical and policing ethics. I’m struck by your deeply thoughtful, values-based and person-centered approach to digital/UX ethics. You’ve encouraged me to reflect on my own approach to working in the fields I do, and what sorts of ethics discourses we need.

— S.S., newsletter reader

I could not thank you enough for this newsletter. I feel you heard my thoughts and what has been sucking the living life out of me for the last 3 years. Beating the algorithm game.

— A.P., newsletter reader

Links

Skills

Back to all work

Work

2020s
39 cards
Template
2026
Harms of the AI ecosystem
A visual aid for discussions and learning about the impact of AI development on everything from individual to global to planetary wellbeing. Free to use in your own presentations, training and meetings, and to download as PDF in English, Swedish and French.
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Digital ethics
- Responsible AI
Comic
2026
Progress
Bella & Boi
Progress. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Meet Bella & Boi.
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Writing
- Digital ethics
Template
2026
Axbom's Playing Cards
cards.axbom.com and kort.axbom.se
Interactive card decks for critical thinking, free to use in work meetings, workshops and teaching: topics, challenges and questions that support better decisions in digital development. In English on cards.axbom.com and in Swedish on kort.axbom.se.
- Digital ethics
- Responsible AI
- Workshops & facilitation
Speaking · Keynote
2025
Camp Digital
Nexer Digital · Manchester
The Spectacular Lies of Maps
Closing keynote at Camp Digital on 3 July 2025, at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester: a brand new talk on how maps and models simplify the world in dangerous ways, and what gets lost when we trust them too much.
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Digital ethics
- Public speaking
Publication
2025
Folkets AI-kommission
Folkets AI-kommission (The People's AI Commission)
In 2025 I was part of Folkets AI-kommission, a newly formed network that wants citizens to have much more participation and influence over the ambitions to shape the future with new technology. On June 4, 2025 we submitted our consultation response to SOU 2025:12, the Swedish AI Commission's “Roadmap for Sweden”.
- Writing
- Digital ethics
- Responsible AI
Speaking · Talk
2025
Internetdagarna
Internetstiftelsen · Stockholm
Digital omtanke
Talk at Internetdagarna on 25 November 2025, in the session “Digital transformation with new perspectives – power, art and caring innovation”, put together by Terese Raymond of Digidel, putting me alongside Simon Lindgren and Anne Kaun, moderated by Johanna Koljonen. Starting from ego depletion, I used smart lamps to show how digitalization multiplies the micro-decisions and worries of everyday life – and how efficiency and simplicity often turn into their opposite.
- Accessibility
- Digital ethics
- Teaching
Podcast
2025
AI för folket
Frida Mangen
AI-bias
A Swedish conversation about bias in generative AI: why AI is so often seen as objective, how it reinforces and recreates prejudice, and how we can stay critical of the AI that increasingly affects important decisions.
- Podcasting
- Responsible AI
- Digital ethics
Template
2024
AI Trial and Evaluation Worksheet
A one-page worksheet that helps teams plan, run and evaluate trials of AI tools. Free to download as PDF or PNG, and to use and adapt under CC BY-SA.
- Responsible AI
- Workshops & facilitation
- Strategic guidance
Podcast
2024
Digitala influencer-podden
Peter Hellgren (Consid)
242. Digital etik | Per Axbom, rådgivare digital etik | Möjligheter och risker med AI
A Swedish conversation about digital ethics at a time when everything spins faster: exploitation as the basis of the technology, copyright as a coming battleground, and why AI is more than just a hammer.
- Podcasting
- Digital ethics
- Responsible AI
Template
2023
If a hammer was like AI…
A poster answering the claim that AI is “just a tool”, no different from a hammer. Nine harms of generative AI and deep learning, shown as a hammer you would never buy. The page explains every topic and has the poster as PNG and PDF. Free to use under CC BY-SA.
- Responsible AI
- Visual thinking & infographics
Project
2023–2026
Riksidrottsförbundet
Swedish Sports Confederation · Stockholm
UX strategy and design for Idrottsarenan, the Swedish sports movement’s new operations system, which replaces IdrottOnline in November 2026. It brings together member and organization data, popular education, analysis and financial grants for 72 national sports federations, 19 districts and around 18,000 clubs with some 3.1 million members.
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Accessibility
Template
2023
Explaining responsibility, impact and power in AI
A diagram showing the relationships between everyone involved in developing and using AI: who finances the systems, who builds and feeds them, who regulates them, and who benefits or suffers. Something to point at in discussions. The page explains every group and has the diagram as PDF. Free to use under CC BY-SA.
- Responsible AI
- Digital ethics
- Visual thinking & infographics
Project
2023–2024
Accessibility review and coaching
A Swedish software company in the finance sector, via Ambition Group · Sweden
The company was aware of digital accessibility, but it wasn't yet a capability built into its services as part of everyday work processes. Together with Ambition Group, we proposed four steps on “the road to improved digital accessibility”. Step 1, an initial review, was to provide a basis for improvements and build awareness of strengths and weaknesses that would help adjust future ways of working.
- Accessibility
- Strategic guidance
- UX research
Template
2023
The Elements of AI Ethics
A chart of 18 harms that we are already seeing with AI, to help teams prioritize their work with “smart” tools and plan how to mitigate harm. The page explains every element and links to a PDF. Free to use under CC BY-SA.
- Responsible AI
- Digital ethics
- Visual thinking & infographics
Speaking · Talk
2023
Internetdagarna
Internetdagarna (Internetstiftelsen) · Internetstiftelsen, Stockholm (broadcast online)
AI och människor – teknikens fram- och baksidor
A talk at Internetdagarna 2023, Sweden’s big internet conference, given on location at Internetstiftelsen and broadcast to the online audience, in the track “Get to know the most important tech trends”: how ordinary people are affected by AI, what tools like ChatGPT actually are, and how to avoid creating new problems while trying to solve others.
- Public speaking
- Responsible AI
- Digital ethics
Project
2023–2024
Riksidrottsförbundet: Grant management
Swedish Sports Confederation (RF/SISU)
My first assignment for Riksidrottsförbundet, from autumn 2023: the overall strategy for a new operations system for the sports movement, and specifically a plan for the future of grant management (Ekonomiska stöd) – how federations, districts and clubs apply for, receive and report on grants.
- Strategic guidance
- UX research
- Workshops & facilitation
Template
2023
Human-AI Interaction
A communication model for human-AI interaction: what shapes the input from a person, the output from the computer, and what the person then does with it. Useful in implementation planning, design decisions, communication and training. The diagram is free to download as PDF or PNG, and to use under CC BY-SA.
- Responsible AI
- Interaction design
- Visual thinking & infographics
Podcast
2023
Samtidspodden
Anders Mildner
#77 – Vad är problemet med Chat GPT?
A Swedish conversation, just as the whole country went ChatGPT-crazy, about what the problem with ChatGPT really is: an AI bot that talks to you like a human and can write anything from business plans to school essays.
- Podcasting
- Responsible AI
- Digital ethics
Publication
2023
“Regulating AI is a must”
Svenska Dagbladet
My reply on SvD Debatt on 9 July 2023 to Mathias Sundin's “Vi behöver inte någon AI-paus” (“We don't need an AI pause”): it is not written in stone that the benefits of AI will outweigh the drawbacks. That is why we need regulation – to set a direction that mitigates harm and creates value for the many, not the few.
- Writing
- Digital ethics
- Responsible AI
Quote
2023
The power we wield as digital creators is significant, as is the potential for harm. By taking responsibility for our power we can not only mitigate negative impact but also build knowledge for advancing our digital services in novel and caring ways.
— Per Axbom, education material
The power we wield…
- Strategic guidance
- Teaching
Speaking · Talk
2023
Vattenfall: AI and Humans
Vattenfall, Corporate Staff Functions · Online
AI and Humans: The Human Rights Perspective
An online talk for Vattenfall on 14 November 2023, through my own company – back with the energy company where I had worked as a consultant from 2005 to 2010. The human rights perspective on AI: what can go wrong, who is responsible, and how to ensure safe and beneficial use.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
- Responsible AI
Project
2022–2023
City of Uppsala
Uppsala kommun
Training material, inspirational talks and strategies for digital accessibility work across the municipality.
- Accessibility
- Teaching
- Workshops & facilitation
Speaking · Talk
2022
Ambition Empower event
Ambition Group
Why I left algorithm-based social media and what happened next
A 15-minute talk at an Ambition Empower event in 2022, after I had left Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn: why I left algorithm-based social media, and how that works for a small business owner. Told with a dollhouse full of figures – and a Winnie-the-Pooh.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Comic
2022–2023
Wild Exploits
Wild Exploits
A free, independent comic I drew and self-hosted from May 2022 to June 2023: Pala the impala and Ellie the elephant talking about technology, while Vlad the vulture watches from a tree. Eight four-panel strips – each with a full image description – about surveillance, crypto, facial recognition, “autonomous” devices, the bird site and AI.
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Digital ethics
- Writing
Speaking · Keynote
2022
Front Conference
Front Conference Zürich
How to Build the Good and Responsible Thing
Keynote at Front Conference in Zürich on 26 August 2022: a practical, concrete introduction to digital ethics and responsible innovation for everyone who designs and builds digital products.
- Digital ethics
- Public speaking
Podcast
2022
Državljan D (Citizen D)
Domen Savič
078 Per Axbom and the ethical tech development
An interview for the Slovenian podcast Citizen D, about ethical tech development and promoting design ethics. Citizen D features experts on pressing topics in the information society and media.
- Podcasting
- Digital ethics
Speaking · Talk
2022
Raoul Wallenberg Talks
Altitude Meetings and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute · Stadshallen, Lund
What does AI have to do with Human Rights?
The first speaker in Raoul Wallenberg Talks, a lecture series on human rights at the new Stadshallen in Lund, on 20 January 2022. Technology is often the driving force that keeps society moving – so what does it have to do with human rights, and how is it being used to hold human rights back?
- Public speaking
- Responsible AI
- Digital ethics
Template
2022
The Trouble Diamond
Asking the right questions for moral management at each stage of the design process. The Trouble Diamond makes ethics assessment a natural part of the Double Diamond, with one question per stage. Download it as a PDF or high-resolution image, and put it up on the wall.
- Digital ethics
- Workshops & facilitation
- Visual thinking & infographics
Teaching
2021–2024
Ambition Empower
Ambition Group · Online
Track leader for “Design Ethics = Good Business” in Ambition Empower, a year-long professional development program in bite-sized steps, from August 2021 to June 2024 – alongside Kim Goodwin, Susan Weinschenk and Chris Noessel, who led the other tracks.
- Teaching
- Digital ethics
- Accessibility
Project
2021–2022
Self-sampling for covid-19
Inera / 1177, as subcontractor to HiQ · Stockholm
Responsible for user experience (UX), workflow descriptions, and instructional materials (both digital and printed) for the “Self-sampling” service during the covid pandemic.
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Accessibility
Template
2021
The Elements of Digital Ethics
A chart of 32 elements in six sections that sum up the many ways digital can cause harm, to support moral considerations in the tech space. The page explains every element, and links to a high-resolution PNG and PDF. Free to use under CC BY-NC-SA.
- Digital ethics
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Workshops & facilitation
Podcast
2021
Surfacing
Lisa Welchman & Andy Vitale
Per Axbom on Compassion and Digital Ethics
Lisa Welchman and Andy Vitale talk with me about my research and work in design ethics, my first computer, and my experiences on Clubhouse, one of the newer social media platforms at the time.
- Podcasting
- Digital ethics
Video
2020–2024
Acceptus e-Brev
Acceptus
An animated explainer film (in Swedish, 2:50) for Acceptus' service e-Brev: healthcare providers send patients' appointment letters digitally, straight from the TakeCare medical records system, via Kivra. Patients who don't use Kivra get the letter as ordinary post, without anyone having to do anything extra. First version 2020, updated 2024.
- Explainer video
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Writing
Podcast
2020–2023
Carefully with Per Axbom
My personal podcast about new technology and human rights: selected blog posts read aloud and enhanced with sound effects and source material, so the writing reaches people who prefer to listen. A Swedish twin, Omtanke med Per Axbom, carries the Swedish posts.
- Podcasting
- Digital ethics
- Writing
Template
2020–2023
Visualizations
Systems maps, mindmaps and models
Drawing to understand, and to help others understand: systems maps, mindmaps and models I have made and shared freely – from the complexity of managing a pandemic to the many branches of the Fediverse. More of them have their own cards.
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Digital ethics
- Strategic guidance
Podcast
2020
Digitalsamtal
Anders Thoresson
#210 – Vi behöver mer digital omtanke
A Swedish conversation about digital compassion, the idea behind my book Digital omtanke: taking responsibility for what you create by understanding everyone it affects, not only the intended users.
- Podcasting
- Digital ethics
- Accessibility
Speaking · Talk
2020
UX Copenhagen
UX Copenhagen · Online
First, Design No Harm (What Design Can Learn From Medical Ethics)
An emotional talk at UX Copenhagen 2020, held online because of covid. It starts in a story of abuse – hazing at a boarding school – and the systems that support it. As designers we have the power to abuse; how aware are we of when it happens? And what can design learn from medical ethics?
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Podcast
2020
greppaUX
Karin Ljungklint & Kristin Olofsson
#30 Uncut: ”Vi skulle egentligen behöva pausa”. Per Axbom om ansvar och etik inom digital utveckling
A Swedish conversation about responsibility and ethics in digital development: who is responsible when something goes wrong, the people who built it or the people using it? And how can those of us in UX, often first to notice, raise it in a team or organization?
- Podcasting
- Digital ethics
- Interaction design
Podcast
2020
Tech for Good Live
Rebecca “Bex” Rae-Evans
Making Friends With… Per Axbom at UX Copenhagen 2020
A conversation about the complexity of ethics in design, recorded when UX Copenhagen 2020 moved online. The first in Tech for Good Live’s “Making Friends With…” series with the conference’s speakers.
- Podcasting
- Digital ethics
2010s
63 cards
Speaking · Talk
2019
Internetdagarna
Internetstiftelsen · Stockholm
Digital omtanke: En mänsklig handling
A talk tailored for Internetdagarna 2019, in the track on digital ethics and morality, on the invitation of Social by default (Sarah Larsson Bernhardt and Niclas Strandh). It is the most emotionally powerful talk I have composed and given: about what happens when people stop questioning the systems they build – and what it takes to act as a human.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Publication
2019
Digital Compassion
Handbook, published by Eget förlag in English and Swedish
A handbook for everyone who wants digitalization to better address wellbeing, inclusion and social impact – with practical tools to start using in projects right away. Published in 2019 in Swedish, as Digital omtanke in the series Kunskap på nolltid, and at the same time in English, translated by Neil Betteridge.
- Digital ethics
- Writing
- Visual thinking & infographics
Project
2019
Symptom guide for 1177
Inera, as subcontractor to HiQ · Stockholm
Part of Första linjens digitala vård: a digital symptom guide where people describe their symptoms to a chatbot and are guided to the right level of care – from self-care to 112. In 2019 a first proof of concept was built and tested with people across Sweden.
- UX research
- Interaction design
- Visual thinking & infographics
Speaking · Keynote
2019
World IA Day
World IA Day Switzerland · Zürich (ZHdK)
So… you think you’re a good person
Two days at World IA Day Switzerland, 22–23 February 2019, on the global theme “Design for Difference”: the midday keynote “So… you think you’re a good person” at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, and the half-day workshop “Mostly Harmless: Design for Digital with a Conscience” the day before. Alongside Sarah Barrett and Jorge Arango, who gave the other keynotes.
- Public speaking
- Workshops & facilitation
- Digital ethics
Project
2018–2022
Images and video in the 1177 advice line
Inera / 1177, as subcontractor to HiQ · Stockholm
Part of the program for first-line digital care (Första linjens digitala vård): letting nurses at 1177 Vårdguiden på telefon, the healthcare advice line, ask callers to send a photo or start a video call – straight from the call, with the caller logging in on their own phone.
- Interaction design
- Explainer video
- UX research
Speaking
2018
Camp Digital
Sigma (now Nexer Digital) · Manchester
Navigating the ethical minefield of digital design
Talk on how designers can take responsibility for the negative impact of their work, by building a moral framework into the design process.
- Digital ethics
- Public speaking
Podcast
2018
Digitala medie-podden
Damon Razazi (with Dagens Media)
#69 – Digital etik och UX
A Swedish conversation about digital ethics in design and UX: the risks of completely frictionless services, built in companies’ hunt for as many conversions as possible, and how to create more inclusive services.
- Podcasting
- Digital ethics
- Interaction design
Speaking · Workshop
2018
EuroIA
EuroIA Summit · Dublin
Mostly Harmless: Design for digital with a conscience
A workshop at the EuroIA Summit in Dublin on 28 September 2018: how to incorporate ethical, sustainable and inclusive thinking into the design process. I gave “Mostly Harmless” again at World IA Day Zürich in February 2019.
- Workshops & facilitation
- Digital ethics
- Public speaking
Teaching
2018–2025
Teaching design ethics
Nackademin
Teacher of design ethics in Nackademin's vocational program for UX designers from 2018 to 2025, with the course Ethics in Design. The Digital Ethics mindmap started out as the syllabus for the course.
- Teaching
- Digital ethics
- Accessibility
Speaking · Workshop
2018
Interaction 18
IxDA – Interaction 18 · Lyon, France
Manage misusability: design for digital with a conscience
A half-day workshop at Interaction 18, the Interaction Design Association's conference in Lyon, on 5 February 2018: how to incorporate ethics thinking into your current design process in a very practical way – and feel immensely better about the work you do. More than half of it hands-on.
- Workshops & facilitation
- Digital ethics
- Teaching
Project
2018–2022
First-line digital care
Inera, as subcontractor to HiQ · Stockholm
UX lead in Inera's program Första linjens digitala vård (first-line digital care), 2018–2022: design strategy, needs research and analysis, and visual explanations in images, films and prototypes – to help people find the right care, digitally, for their needs and urgency.
- Strategic guidance
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Interaction design
Speaking · Talk
2018
Feira do Polo Digital de Manaus
Feira do Polo Digital de Manaus · Manaus, Brazil
Mostly Harmless: Design for digital with a conscience
A talk at the first Feira do Polo Digital de Manaus in November 2018, in the middle of the Amazon rainforest: on digital ethics, and why we must re-evaluate the maps we are using if we want to reach the destination we want.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
- Workshops & facilitation
Template
2018
The Inclusive Panda
A model for mapping everyone your design affects, not just the people you design for. Drawn as a panda face: participants, included, excluded, unwanted, and the people who are hurt despite your best intentions. Made for my ethics workshops and later part of the handbook Digital Compassion. Free to use, with credit.
- Digital ethics
- Accessibility
- Workshops & facilitation
Speaking · Talk
2018
STHLM Xperience Conference
STHLM Xperience Conference · Stockholm
Don't feed the designers after midnight
A talk at the first STHLM Xperience Conference, on World Usability Day 2018 and its theme “Design for Good or Evil”. Told with a Gremlins theme – Gizmo and Stripe, which I drew myself in Keynote with the path tool.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
- Visual thinking & infographics
Podcast
2018
UX Podcast #200
Lisa Welchman & Anna Dahlström
#200 Retrospective with James Royal-Lawson & Per Axbom
For UX Podcast’s 200th episode the tables were turned: Lisa Welchman and Anna Dahlström hosted, and my co-host James Royal-Lawson and I were the guests. Almost five days of podcast content, recorded over seven and a half years.
- Podcasting
Speaking · Talk
2018
Web Service Award
WSA-dagen, Web Service Award
Det osynliga problemet med sagolika användarupplevelser
A talk at WSA-dagen, the Web Service Award day, on 31 January 2018: inspired by behavioral science, digital designers have become ever more focused on steering people to act as we want them to. But when we remove every barrier and deliver the fairy-tale experience that takes minimal brain power to move forward, we abandon our promise to help people choose what's best for them.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Teaching
2017–2024
Talks, lectures and training
Talks, lectures and training sessions for companies, agencies and schools – from podcasting and design thinking to accessibility, inclusive design and the ethics of AI. The larger conference talks have their own cards.
- Public speaking
- Teaching
- Digital ethics
Speaking · Talk
2017
EuroIA
EuroIA Summit · Stockholm
The Hidden Persuaders of the Digital Age
A talk on ethics in design at the EuroIA Summit in Stockholm in September 2017. Sixty years after Vance Packard's classic The Hidden Persuaders exposed “motivation research”, many of the same techniques are used without hesitation to make users of digital products subscribe, click, scroll, buy and invite.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Teaching
2016–2022
Steering committee, UX designer program
Nackademin
Member of the steering committee (ledningsgrupp) for Nackademin's vocational program for UX designers, 2016–2022 – helping shape what future UX designers learn. I also taught design ethics in the program from 2018 to 2025.
- Teaching
- Strategic guidance
Speaking · Talk
2016
UXLx
UXLx – User Experience Lisbon
The Invisible Problem with Fairy Tale Experiences
A talk at UXLx in Lisbon on 26 May 2016, the English version of a talk that began as a lightning talk at UX Open in Stockholm: when we remove every barrier and design the fairy-tale experience, we may abandon our promise to help people choose what's best for them.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Teaching
2016
Advisory board, master's in information architecture
Jönköping University
Member of the advisory board for a master's program in information architecture at Jönköping University – the university where I took my bachelor's degree in media and communication studies in 1995, and later taught a course in digital communication (2010).
- Teaching
- Strategic guidance
Award
2016
STIMDI Grand Prize
STIMDI · Stockholm
STIMDI, the Swedish interdisciplinary society for human–computer interaction, has awarded its Grand Prize since 1997 – earlier recipients include Jonas Löwgren, Kia Höök and Jan Gulliksen. I received it on World Usability Day, 10 November 2016, two minutes after stepping off stage from a talk on ethics.
- Public speaking
- Writing
- Podcasting
Testimonial
2016
“You can't ask for a better outside perspective than you get from Per Axbom.
You can't ask for a better outside perspective than you get from Per Axbom. He's been extraordinarily helpful to me in providing the type of insight that only someone with his particular mix of real-world experience and natural inquisitiveness can.
— Jason Kirst, coaching client
On being coached by me
- Change management
- Teaching
Speaking · Talk
2016
World Usability Day
STIMDI · Stockholm
Design som lyssnar till hela människan
A talk – or rather a rant – on ethics at STIMDI's World Usability Day evening in Stockholm on 10 November 2016, about the ethical responsibility of the people doing UX work. Two minutes after I stepped off stage I was awarded STIMDI's Grand Prize.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Teaching
2015–2026
Coaching
Individuals and teams
Trained as a coach in Leapfrog’s ACC-accredited coaching program. I coach individuals and teams, in leadership as well as junior positions, working by the ICF (International Coach Federation) code of ethics.
- Teaching
- Change management
Project
2015–2023
Shorter assignments
Through Axbom Innovation AB
Smaller assignments alongside my longer engagements: interaction design, advice, writing, film and jury work.
- Interaction design
- Strategic guidance
- Digital ethics
Speaking · Talk
2015–2017
UX Open
UX Open unconference · Stockholm
Det osynliga problemet med sagolika användarupplevelser
A lightning talk at UX Open, an unconference for the UX community in Stockholm, on 16 October 2015 – one of 16 lightning talks in front of 180+ participants. The start of the fairy-tale talk: when we design away every barrier, we may stop helping people choose what's best for them.
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Project
2014
Directory administration prototype
Stockholm County Council, as subcontractor to Softronic
A clickable prototype for Katalogadministration, which became a real tool: the view where a care unit – here Vivalla vårdcentral in Örebro – keeps its details up to date, fetching data from the national HSA directory and reporting information that is wrong or missing. In the film I explain the prototype myself (in Swedish, 8:43).
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Explainer video
Publication
2013–2023
Digital tillgänglighet
Free online guide (in Swedish)
A free Swedish guide to digital accessibility at digitill.se: all 13 guidelines of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) explained simply, with examples – so anyone can start contributing to more accessible digital services, and make demands on the people who build and maintain them.
- Accessibility
- Writing
- Teaching
Project
2013–2014
Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions
Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting (SKL) · Stockholm
Wireframes and a prototype for SKL's new public website, with usability tests, idea sessions and workshops. The new skl.se was named Sweden's best public website at the Sitevision Days on 7 October 2014.
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Strategic guidance
Publication
2013–2016
The AceAwe Experience Model
E-book in English and Swedish
An experience model for designing digital services in a holistic, structured way – by truly helping the people you want to reach. AceAwe (“Ace your service, awe your users”) describes the whole experience as a circle in six steps: Attract, Clarify, Enable, Adapt, Wow and Extend.
- Interaction design
- Strategic guidance
- Writing
Speaking · Talk
2013
UXLx lightning talk
UXLx, Lisbon
Eliminate Design – a rant about the responsibility of UX professionals
A lightning talk at User Experience Lisbon in May 2013: jumping head first into sketching wireframes makes us fail the user and lose sight of the real problem. The screen should not be singled out as the primary medium for human-centered design – and it is the UX lead's job to make sure it isn't. Recorded on an iPhone from the audience.
- Public speaking
- UX research
- Digital ethics
Testimonial
2012
“Per has an enormous knowledge of usability.
Per has an enormous knowledge of usability. When we were rebuilding our web tool, Per’s input was decisive in creating an easy-to-use experience. If simplicity and intuitive interfaces matter to you, hire Axbom Innovation!
— Andreas Ahrens, Prosocyal AB
Translated from Swedish
On the redesign of Prosocyal
- Interaction design
Project
2012–2019
Sketchnotes
From 2012 to 2019 I drew sketchnotes live at conferences – usually one talk per iPad screen, published straight after the session. The first set, from UXLx 2012, had more than 34,000 views on SlideShare by February 2013. My favorites are the most recent, from UXLx 2019.
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Workshops & facilitation
- Writing
Testimonial
2012
“Last show was probably (one of the) best in show.
Last show was probably (one of the) best in show. Thanks for the book! Will be beside my bed for keeping nightmares away.
— Bettina Braesch, after Scandinavian Developer Conference, April 2012
After Scandinavian Developer Conference
- Public speaking
Project
2012–2018
Online support and treatment
Stockholm County Council and Inera – as subcontractor to Softronic, later Omegapoint and HiQ
Six years on the national e-service for online support and treatment (Stöd och behandling), from the pre-study in 2012 to launch: a platform where healthcare providers build support and treatment programs, such as internet-based CBT and psychoeducation courses, for their patients. The project that steered me toward digital ethics.
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Explainer video
Testimonial
2012
“Personal, knowledgeable and engaging.
Personal, knowledgeable and engaging. You can always rely on Per, and every time we have worked with him he has delivered beyond expectations.
— Funda Denizhan, Manager User Experience, Valtech
Translated from Swedish
On working with Valtech
- Public speaking
- Interaction design
Publication
2012–2013
Digital exclusion in Sweden 2012
Infographic for Digidel
An infographic on the people who stand outside the internet in Sweden – 1.2 million people, 14% of the population over 12 – built on .SE's yearly surveys. My contribution to spreading knowledge about the people who keep risking being forgotten, published with a full image description and free to download, and later commissioned by the campaign for digital inclusion, Digidel 2013.
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Accessibility
- Digital ethics
Testimonial
2012
“Over the past year Per Axbom has helped us develop services that make sure…
Over the past year Per Axbom has helped us develop services that make sure people who have been victims of crime get information about their rights. In this work Per has been not only knowledgeable and creative but also deeply committed. We are very happy with his work and warmly recommend him!
— Magnus Lindgren, Secretary General, Stiftelsen Tryggare Sverige
Translated from Swedish
On the work for Stiftelsen Tryggare Sverige
- Strategic guidance
Project
2012
Prosocyal
Prosocyal AB
Expert review, new interaction design and an action plan for Prosocyal, a web tool companies used to monitor and manage their social media.
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Visual thinking & infographics
Speaking · Talk
2012
Scandinavian Developer Conference
Scandinavian Developer Conference · Gothenburg
Ace your website. Awe your users. 7 steps to master UX.
A talk on 16 April 2012 in the new track on usability and interaction design at Scandinavian Developer Conference: getting into the mindset of pleasing the user, so a digital service can become “the beginning of a beautiful friendship”. Built on the AceAwe experience model – six steps and one more – with plenty of web forms as examples.
- Public speaking
- Interaction design
- Visual thinking & infographics
Award
2012
SEB Innovation Award
SEB
Won SEB Innovation Awards in October 2012 – the bank's yearly award since 2010 for an idea that can develop customer experience in banking. My idea: “a robot friend that keeps track for you” – solve everyday money problems that cause stress, using information the bank already has.
- Visual thinking & infographics
- Interaction design
- Strategic guidance
Testimonial
2012
“I have engaged Per several times as a subject expert when our networks for…
I have engaged Per several times as a subject expert when our networks for owner-managers have taken on social media and communication strategy. Per’s strength is that he listens, reflects and shares his knowledge in a matter-of-fact way. That he does it with a humble manner makes him all the more credible in conveying value.
— Ulf Mattebo, CEO, ÄgarLedare
Translated from Swedish
On the workshops for ÄgarLedare
- Teaching
- Workshops & facilitation
Project
2011–2022
Inera / 1177
Inera and Stockholm County Council – as subcontractor to Valtech, Softronic, Omegapoint and HiQ
More than ten healthcare projects for 1177 and Inera, including the e-service for online support and treatment (Stöd och behandling), Högkostnadsskydd, Tidbokning and, during the covid pandemic, self-sampling (Egen provhantering).
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Explainer video
Testimonial
2011
“Per Axbom has a rare and valuable combination: he can talk to techies in their…
Per Axbom has a rare and valuable combination: he can talk to techies in their own language while capturing, understanding, translating and conveying the communicators’ perspective. Worth its weight in gold! He is also curious about everything – a cool, decent and competent guy!
— Eva Stattin, Vattenfall AB and Universum Communication AB (has hired me several times)
Translated from Swedish
On working with Vattenfall and Universum
- Strategic guidance
- Teaching
Project
2011–2018
Stiftelsen Tryggare Sverige
Swedish Crime Victim Foundation (Stiftelsen Tryggare Sverige) · Stockholm
A new website, new social media channels and training for the team, followed by responsibility for all digital media during the Almedalen political week.
- Strategic guidance
- Teaching
- Writing
Testimonial
2011
“As a consultant, Axbom has brought key expertise to several web projects in…
As a consultant, Axbom has brought key expertise to several web projects in recent years. He has supported and guided development projects and acted as adviser on various web strategy questions.
— Jonas Berg, Product Manager, Svensk Byggtjänst
Translated from Swedish
On the work for Svensk Byggtjänst
- Strategic guidance
Podcast
2011–2025
UX Podcast
James Royal-Lawson & Per Axbom
Co-founder, producer and co-host of UX Podcast with James Royal-Lawson, 2011–2025. 339 episodes and more than 3 million downloads, with interviews with many of digital design’s most interesting minds.
- Podcasting
- Public speaking
- Digital ethics
Testimonial
2011
“We hired Per to review our web structure and recommend improvements in…
We hired Per to review our web structure and recommend improvements in usability, navigation and clarity. Per was an enormously knowledgeable and efficient resource and delivered input of the very highest quality, which has been of the greatest value in our work for change.
— Magnus Nylander, CEO, Vroom Stockholm AB
Translated from Swedish
On the work for Vroom
- Interaction design
- Strategic guidance
Project
2011–2015
Mina vårdkontakter and Virtuell Portal 2.0
Stockholm County Council and Inera – as subcontractor to Valtech, later Softronic
From 2011, via Valtech: a complete review of minavardkontakter.se – the e-services where people log in to contact their healthcare – as part of Virtuell Portal 2.0, the next version of 1177 Vårdguiden's e-services: the start page, booking appointments, logging in, and acting on someone else's behalf.
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Workshops & facilitation
Testimonial
2011
“Easy and uncomplicated to do business with.
Easy and uncomplicated to do business with. Committed, reliable and conscientious. Creative, innovative and healthily questioning.
— Tobias Bergdahl, Managing Partner, Xlent Strategy
Translated from Swedish
On working with XLENT
- Strategic guidance
Teaching
2011
Universum
Universum Communication AB
Hired as the external lecturer when Universum wanted to develop how the whole organization worked with search engine optimization and writing for the web: training for about 40 people, on site in Sweden and by video link to the other markets.
- Teaching
- Strategic guidance
Project
2010–2013
Reviews, workshops and procurement support
Consulting assignments
Shorter assignments from around the start of my own company, Axbom Innovation AB (founded 2010): expert reviews, interaction design, workshops and support when buying web services.
- Interaction design
- UX research
- Strategic guidance
Teaching
2010–2013
ÄgarLedare
ÄgarLedare, a network for owner-managed companies
Training and workshops on social media, communication strategy and digital tools for owner-managers.
- Teaching
- Workshops & facilitation
- Strategic guidance
Project
2010–2012
Stockholm University
Stockholms universitet – through XLENT Consulting Group, then Axbom Innovation AB
Strategist and experience designer for the Faculty of Science, on its printed catalog and on recruiting new students through other channels: I mapped the whole journey of future science students, from fifth grade to admission, and turned it into a strategy and new digital services.
- Strategic guidance
- UX research
- Writing
Teaching
2010–2013
Guest lectures and training
Various organizations
Shorter lectures and training sessions on digital media and tools.
- Public speaking
- Teaching
Project
2010–2011
Svensk Byggtjänst
Svensk Byggtjänst – through XLENT, then Axbom Innovation AB
Adviser and subject expert, through my own company Axbom Innovation AB, in recurring workshops and working meetings, supporting web development projects and web strategy decisions.
- Strategic guidance
- Workshops & facilitation
Teaching
2010–2011
Web copy 2.0
Ability Partner, through Axbom Innovation AB
From 2010 to 2011 I was responsible for Webbcopy 2.0, a two-day course in writing for the web given twice a year by the training company Ability Partner. The course was in Swedish.
- Teaching
- Writing
Project
2010–2011
Vroom
Vroom Stockholm AB
A new interface for the digital tool that most car salespeople in Sweden used to map customer needs and send out campaigns.
- Interaction design
- Workshops & facilitation
- Strategic guidance
Testimonial
2010
“Per got “top marks” from the university’s web editors and social media editors…
Per got “top marks” from the university’s web editors and social media editors at an internal training within Stockholm University’s communication network.
— Marie Jackalin, Content Manager for su.se, Stockholm University
Translated from Swedish
On the copywriting lecture at Stockholm University
- Teaching
- Writing
Project
2010
Compatec
Compatec AB, through Axbom Innovation AB
A fixed-price assignment in 2010: a new WordPress website connected to social media, with image publishing through Flickr – from setup and design to moving the content and the domain.
- Strategic guidance
- Interaction design
Teaching
2010
Course in digital communication
Jönköping University
I planned, taught and examined a 7.5-credit course in digital communication, given in English to 120 students in the Media and Communication Science program. It was the first assignment for Axbom Innovation AB, the company I founded in 2010 – at the university where I took my own bachelor's degree in 1995.
- Teaching
Testimonial
2010
“Per has a fantastic ability to think interactively.
Per has a fantastic ability to think interactively. To turn ideas into usable solutions online, and into modern ways of communicating through the noise.
— Mikael Hägglund, CEO, Compatec AB
Translated from Swedish
On the work for Compatec
- Interaction design
2000s
13 cards
Speaking · Talk
2009–2012
Web forms
Talks, blog posts and free redesigns
Around 2009–2012 web forms were one of my specialities: the part of a website where a visitor goes from window-shopping to actually doing something – buying, booking, getting in touch. I wrote about them, redesigned them and gave talks on how to design forms so more people fill them in and send them.
- Public speaking
- Interaction design
- Writing
Podcast
2009
Fredagsbubbel
My second podcast (2009), in Swedish: every Friday, a short interview with a topical, exciting person “in the bubble” – Swedish internet entrepreneurs, developers and thinkers. The follow-up to Webbtrender, and the step before UX Podcast.
- Podcasting
Project
2008
My Money – Intrum Justitia
Intrum Justitia, through XLENT
Most visitors to Intrum Justitia's Swedish website were people in debt. In 2008 I did the feasibility study for a new site just for them – about preventing debt, preparing for a loan and coping when in debt – and then supported the project until it launched as My Money (mymoney.intrum.se).
- Strategic guidance
- Interaction design
- UX research
Podcast
2007–2008
Webbtrender
My first podcast (2007–2008), in Swedish: interviews with internet and design profiles about building better experiences on the web, produced and mixed by me.
- Podcasting
Publication
2007
“Search engine optimization is always ugly”
Computer Sweden
A debate article in the trade paper Computer Sweden, printed on page 2 on 31 October 2007: search engine optimization is ugly, because manipulating results stops search engines from giving people what is most relevant – and risks turning them into just another advertising channel. Usability and accessibility should come first.
- Writing
- Digital ethics
- Strategic guidance
Project
2006–2011
XLENT Consulting Group
XLENT Business Integration / XLENT Consulting Group · Stockholm
Consultant at XLENT from 2006 to 2010, then hired back as an independent consultant for the strategy and interaction design of the group’s new website (2011).
- Strategic guidance
- Interaction design
- Accessibility
Publication
2005–2008
Datormagazin
Datormagazin · Stockholm
Monthly articles for Datormagazin, Sweden's largest magazine for computer users – the magazine I devoured every month as a young computer nerd in the 1980s. Each article described a current interactive Web 2.0 phenomenon and how to apply it, complete with code examples, and put the Ajax solution in a context that mattered for usability and accessibility.
- Writing
- Interaction design
Project
2005–2010
Vattenfall
Vattenfall, Group Communications – through Lumano, XLENT and Axbom Innovation AB · Stockholm
Five years with one of Europe’s largest energy companies: usability and accessibility for vattenfall.com and vattenfall.se, then adviser to Group Communications on web strategy and social media.
- Accessibility
- Strategic guidance
- Teaching
Publication
2004
“Attitude is not the same as behavior”
Computer Sweden
A debate article in Computer Sweden on 24 March 2004: a web survey is good for finding out about attitudes, but says nothing about how usable a website is. When I watched people use a web service, what they said and what they did were often two different things.
- Writing
- UX research
Project
2004–2005
SL journey planner
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), through Lumano · Stockholm
Interaction design of Stockholm public transport’s online journey planner, and interaction design and coding of the web-based planner used by customer service.
- Interaction design
- Accessibility
Project
2003–2005
Search engine optimization
Outokumpu (incl. AvestaPolarit), Biovitrum, Protelma, through Lumano
Making companies findable at a time when search engines were still new territory.
- Strategic guidance
- Writing
Project
2001–2002
Pharmacia
Pharmacia Sweden, through Lumano
Pharmacia's Swedish operations brought their printed and digital internal channels together in one shared information system, Phorum Cross Media. Together with the client, Lumano helped formulate the project, then start, staff, run and evaluate it.
- Change management
- Strategic guidance
- Teaching
Project
2000–2005
Expert reviews and user testing
Through Lumano · Stockholm
Reviews, user tests, focus groups and structure work for a long list of organizations in the early 2000s, usually ending in a concrete action plan.
- UX research
- Interaction design
- Strategic guidance
1990s
5 cards
Project
1998–2000
Ericsson
Ericsson Data and Ericsson Business Consulting · Stockholm
I started as a web designer at Ericsson in 1998: early web work inside the company, including the first time Ericsson streamed its press conference live over the internet.
- Interaction design
- Writing
- Strategic guidance
Publication
1997–2026
axbom.com / axbom.se
Blog and newsletter
My blog and newsletter on the human impact of tech, with essays on digital ethics, UX, accessibility and the real-world consequences of design decisions. I started writing online in diary form in 1997, a few years before the word “blog” was coined. Today I publish in English (axbom.com) and Swedish (axbom.se), with nearly 1,000 posts between them.
- Writing
- Digital ethics
- Accessibility
Project
1996–1998
Stockholm Student Sports Association
Stockholms Studenters Idrottsförening (SSIF)
I built the first website for Stockholms Studenters Idrottsförening, the sports association for students in the Stockholm area – on ssif.su.se, with information for 30,000 students, from registering the address to building contact forms and training the people who would publish.
- Interaction design
- Teaching
- Writing
Project
1996–1997
Axbom Page Productions
Own business, alongside my jobs as information officer at the Stockholm University student union and at SSIF
Where it started: a small side business building web pages. Three clients – among them a travel agency and Compatec – whom I helped put their brochure material online.
- Interaction design
Project
1992–2010
Career and education
Employers and studies before Axbom Innovation AB
Before founding Axbom Innovation AB in 2010: fifteen years of employment in web, communication and usability – and the studies that came first.
- Interaction design
- Strategic guidance
- Writing
1980s
1 card
Video
1988
Animations from 1988
Made at home
Not work, but a glimpse of how early computers, animation and communication caught my interest: three short films I made as a teenager in 1988 – a stop-motion film starring a stuffed gorilla, and two animations drawn on my Atari 600XL home computer.
- Explainer video
- Visual thinking & infographics