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When Maren started at reMarkable in 2017, it was still a small company. Even then, the plan was to create something unique.

“Even before I started, reMarkable had decided to build as much as possible on its own. This entailed building everything from a support system to a sales organisation, as well as a global supply chain. This was done in order to design our services the way we wanted. In this way, we could create a holistic experience and customer journey.”

When a company owns the entire value chain, and therefore the entire customer journey, it is easier to adapt the experiences to the insight and data you have acquired. For reMarkable, this has been a steep learning curve, which has resulted in a better understanding of our customers’ needs.

“Direct-to-Consumer brands (D2C) are often characterised by a limited product portfolio, where they own most of their value chain. That is what we have done. We started digitally but have constantly been searching for other areas to move into. This has been a good learning experience, and it means that we can apply our better thinking to everything from packaging, experiences in the physical store, design of our own cloud services, and tablet user experiences.”

Maren states that her primary focus as a service designer is to create a holistic brand experience that helps the customer to experience what we promise – better thinking.

“What is great about reMarkable is the high professional quality, with a broad range of domain knowledge and expertise in different areas. . The service designer’s role is partly to represent the customer’s perspective, and to see how the entirety is viewed from the outside. There has been a strong focus on creating a seamless customer journey the entire way – and even as a small start-up, we organised the company based on the customer journey.”

At reMarkable, we have high ambitions, and I believe that our employees enjoy tackling challenges.

“In an interview with A-magasinet, Magnus Wanberg, CEO and founder of reMarkable referred to what we are doing as an ‘elite sport’.” We aim to become true challengers for many of the major companies – Apple and Amazon. There was nothing to indicate that we would manage this, but if we keep delivering high quality in everything we do, and are strict about our priorities, then nothing is impossible.”

Maren believes that this may be somewhat unconventional for many Norwegian companies, but it is a little like an elite sport – when you want to achieve unusually good results, you have to do things in an unconventional way.

“… As the Ingebrigtsen brothers have shown. We have to work smarter to achieve what is nearly impossible.”

Maren represents service design as a discipline, and what is unique about reMarkable is that we own the entire customer journey. All our branches are in Norway, and everyone is based in Øvre Grünerløkka in Oslo (when we’re not working from home).

“This is different from other places I have worked, where it was difficult to make changes in the customer journey. That is so much easier here – since everything happens in one place. Small steps can therefore lead to big results.”

Maren

Maren, Service Design, is one of the reasons why reMarkable is developing everything from its own apps to a physical store

When Julie started working at reMarkable in 2018, she was one of 30 employees. Today, there are over 340 colleagues. Her focus has remained steady. She aims to build and enhance a culture where everyone can develop and thrive.

“My role at the company was more operational at first, but it has developed at an incredible speed in a short time. Today, my tasks are more varied, but basically my position involves creating special places and exciting situations for everyone at reMarkable.”

When reMarkable moved into “Villa Biermann” in Grünerløkka, the idea was to create a unique place. A place for strong commitment, hard work, variation, and good relationships.

“My responsibility was to ensure that the offices were functional, with an emphasis on design. People should be able to do many different things at work – to perform their work in a way that is good and rewarding, but also relax and enjoy themselves.”

Both Villa Biermann and our new offices on Thorvald Meyers gate have many different zones. Julie says that the zones are based on requests and insight from employees.

“We’re all different. Some work best in peace and quiet, while others love to be surrounded by people and noise. We try to listen to our employees, so all personality types have the space they need to do their best work.”

reMarkable is a high-growth company. In 2021, we grew from 142 to 228 employees, and we are still recruiting. Julie says that this strong growth creates new needs and demands different solutions.

“It’s almost like working in a new company each quarter. Needs and roles are always changing. That’s why we’re looking for dedicated people who view their work as more than just a job. You have to be prepared to give a little extra when working in an organization that is constantly evolving.”

At reMarkable, the goal is not to become too comfortable or locked into a role. Instead, the aim is to adapt and work to become even better. The concept that characterizes the workplace is perfect for this purpose, as it encourages engagement, collaboration, and activity. A place you can stay focused and explore opportunities.

“It is never boring, and no two months are the same. Things are happening all the time, with lots of exciting opportunities and challenges all around. We moved into new office landscapes and opened a pop-up store in the middle of a pandemic. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of both.”

reMarkable has always maintained a strong focus on culture and relationship building. We give resources to end-of-phase parties, summer gatherings, surprise trips, and other social events. Social aspects are always important to us, which is perhaps why we’ve maintained such a strong culture while other things have changed.

“My aim is to protect and build our culture, regardless of how big we become. We were small with few employees when I started, but I took a chance, and I honestly could not have made a better choice. This is a step in the right direction for my career, and I have learned an incredible amount from all the amazing people I work with. I want my new colleagues to experience the same thing.”

Julie

Julie, Senior Facilities Manager & Project Coordinator, is one of the reasons why reMarkable is one of Norway’s coolest workplaces

Svein-Ove is responsible for identifying, qualifying, and selecting suppliers that develop relevant technology, or that have other important capabilities required for reMarkable to develop and create the products we want. We establish and build relationships with numerous suppliers all over the world. Through these relationships, we maintain an overview of the technological development, and we clearly communicate what is important to us to make sure we are pushing development in the right direction. In addition, Svein-Ove is responsible for negotiating optimal conditions and contracts with suppliers.

“The ambition for growth and innovation is what makes it so cool to work at reMarkable. We have specific goals and a structured approach to achieving these. But a lot of what we do is being done for the first time. Our projects are developed along the way, and we must live with a certain amount of uncertainty, which is scary, but mostly incredibly exciting and instructive.”

Svein-Ove believes that finding the right suppliers largely depends on locating those that have the technology and expertise to match reMarkable’s needs. They must also understand reMarkable, share our values, like our product ideas, and be motivated by our level of ambition.

“The suppliers we work best with are those who like our vision, understand our product intentions and see their own opportunities in our growth.”

reMarkable seeks to develop high-quality innovative products, and we must push the boundaries of what we believe is possible. To achieve this, we are entirely reliant on suppliers who share this attitude.

“We therefore focus a great deal on our suppliers’ ability to solve technical and procedural challenges.”

The suppliers we deal with generally focus on well-established product categories such as mobile phones, tablets, and computers. It takes a lot of hard work to whet the suppliers’ appetites for a new product category, which reMarkable represents.

“When searching for new suppliers, we spend a lot of time making sure that the supplier is right for reMarkable. Anchoring in the management of a supplier is essential, and we spend time communicating our vision, what we have achieved and our ambition moving forward. This has been successful so far, and we have established a collaboration with several world-leading suppliers.”

How do you bring a new supplier on board? How do you ensure that this specific supplier is the best? Svein-Ove says it is generally a question of structure and good processes, with skilled people to lead the processes to ensure that we match with the best suppliers with the right conditions.

“We are a young company, with a lot of drive and ambition. However, the necessary structure and process may not always be entirely in place. Much of what we do we are doing for the first time. That is why it is necessary to enjoy adapting to the terrain, where the goal may change along the way, and where you learn, develop and adjust the work to achieve that goal.”

Svein-Ove believes that the internal culture is influenced by skilled people with the right attitude, who are willing to roll up their sleeves and tackle problems that may be new and unfamiliar.

“It is important to preserve this culture as we grow. Building a team with people who have the right experience, combined with a fearless and structured approach to new challenges and problems is crucial when building a world-leading, global supply chain from Oslo.”

Svein-Ove

Svein-Ove, Supply Chain, is one of the reasons why reMarkable has been able to assemble a network of suppliers that contribute to the development and production of reMarkable 2

Time Magazine placed reMarkable 2 on its list of 100 Best Inventions in 2020. Last year, the company was valued at NOK 1 billion when Silicon Valley investors Spark Capital, known for its early investments in Twitter, came in with NOK 130 million. Mari, Senior Strategic Finance Manager, has been with reMarkable since June 2017.

The ambition of recreating paper in a digital format began with the launch of reMarkable 1 in 2016. Although it was reMarkable 2 that really nailed it and created a holistic and intuitive paper experience, the company had already received a lot of attention from investors when reMarkable 1 arrived on the market.

“When we launched reMarkable 1 in 2016, we were contacted by investors from Norway, Europe and the United States. That was when we were contacted by Spark Capital. It actually took two years of relationship-building with Spark before they decided to invest in us in 2019.”

Mari says that they had numerous conversations aimed at building trust and mutual respect. Spark wanted to see what the company had managed to achieve, their plans for the future, and how they worked to reach these goals. After a long “getting-to-know-you” period, the US investment company finally invested nearly NOK 130 million in its first Norwegian company.

“Spark had never invested in Norwegian companies before. They have offices in Boston, New York and San Francisco, and this was their first wholly Norwegian company – a small step for Norwegian technology and a giant leap forward for us!”

reMarkable started an early process with mutual due diligence. What kind of investor is Spark? What will their priorities be as part of the board of directors? Mari says that the most important and most surprising part of the process was Spark’s genuine engagement in the product. Spark Capital were essential users. This appealed strongly to the executives of the company.

“Money was one thing, and a good reputation in Silicon Valley was another. It was also important to us that they did not try to micro-manage the company, but instead help us with the strategic challenges we are facing. By speaking with companies they had invested in earlier, including Twitter, we could see that they were interested in the same things as we were. It was reassuring and amazing!”

Mari

Mari, Senior Strategic Finance Manager, is one of the reasons why reMarkable made NOK 200 million

What strategic initiatives should we focus on to enable reMarkable to achieve its sky-high ambitions? One area with significant potential is retail. Lofty ambitions, visions, and ideas must be transformed into good customer experiences in the store. Jannicke was given this responsibility.

“Retail is a strategic initiative that we strongly believe in. How will this area work for us, both nationally and internationally? We decided to develop this initiative to test it out and learn.”

Jannicke began the process of strategic planning and found relevant partners. It didn’t take long before the team decided to open a physical store. They developed the concept, design, and everything necessary for opening a store in just ten weeks. On 1 December, customers were able to come in and experience the brand at Øvre Slottsgate 18–20.

reMarkable aims high. Dedication and a passion for getting things done will motivate employees to roll up their sleeves and do their utmost to reach their goals.

“There are few workplaces where everyone is truly passionate about achieving the company’s objectives. At reMarkable, everyone is engaged and believes in what we want to accomplish. The way everyone listens to each other, supports each other, and lends a hand when needed is truly unique. This is an incredible team.”

There is a high demand for consumer electronics, and interest is rising. Yet many are abandoning physical retail stores. Jannicke believes that this is due to new demands by consumers. She is certain that physical retail will continue to play an important role in the future, but in a different way.

“We need to think outside the box and offer experiences you can’t get on digital surfaces. Retail is about interacting with the brand, and we want to create a unique experience outside the digital world. That is why this collaboration with Snøhetta seemed right for us. We wanted the best on our team.”

At reMarkable, we are always working to bring in the best advisors and partners. Because we think we will benefit from this. We want access to resources that can shape us into a stronger team and company. Snøhetta is one of the best companies in Norway, and it is also world renowned. By working with them, we have the opportunity to learn from the best.

reMarkable 2 is a unique physical experience of paper and technology that many have heard of but have not had the opportunity to try. The core of reMarkable’s marketing is the idea that it is like writing on paper. It was therefore important to offer a physical store that offers the chance to test the product. Customers will have the opportunity to experience this vision up close. It should be possible to get to know the brand without distractions.

“We can really see the value in having people try the product and getting the full experience of what we are talking about in our digital channels. We believe in bringing people into a physical room to test the product, experience the brand and become acquainted with our vision.”

reMarkable is never better than its employees

reMarkable has a strong focus on testing and learning, in order to acquire new knowledge. Employees work together in multidisciplinary teams, where they can challenge one another and maintain an open dialogue about what they learn and what is essential moving forward. This is about learning from the stores to find out what works. The goal is to scale retail operations for the international stage.

“The most rewarding aspect of my role is building a good team. I want to be a trusted sparring partner and help everyone develop and support each other, because reMarkable is never better than the people on our team.”

Jannicke

Jannicke, Head of Retail, is one of the reasons why reMarkable opened a store in collaboration with Snøhetta

Susanne began working with recruitment at reMarkable in 2018. Since then, her work assignments have developed with lightning speed.

“I’ve been given the chance for a more rapid career development here than I would anywhere else. Instead of working my way up, slowly but surely, in a more traditional organisation, I have moved from operational and administrative tasks to working with strategic projects in the field of HR, organisation and culture in just three years.”

Today, Susanne’s title is Organisational Developer. She has two primary areas of responsibility – internal communication and employee engagement. Susanne is also responsible for the company’s diversity strategy – an area she is passionate about.

“I was the first employee who was responsible for recruitment. During my first year, I hired 35 people. I was also given responsibility for all HR-related tasks in a rapidly expanding organisation. These were tasks I had never had before. It was pretty intense, but exciting. The learning curve has been incredibly steep! I have been allowed to implement new initiatives, such as the establishment of platforms for internal communication, as well as strategies for diversity and equality, while maintaining independent responsibility for this work. That makes me proud!”

Norway’s biggest social activities budget?

Susanne says that even though the company has grown a great deal in a short amount of time, it has always managed to retain its core culture.

“We may have Norway’s biggest social activities budget. We spend a lot of money on having fun. Before Covid-19, we went on trips abroad twice a year. We attended a Halloween party in Budapest, the Highland Games in Edinburgh, and a circus festival in Amsterdam. We also have regular parties in Oslo, where employees vote on the theme. This is only limited by our collective imagination! We have always invested a lot of money in arranging social events, where we celebrate our work and commitment.”

There is no single type of personality that fits for reMarkable. Everyone is included. However, Susanne says that qualities such as humility and a team spirit are important. Individualists rarely fit with a company working towards a common goal and with a strong internal culture.

“We have always been intent on avoiding ‘prima donnas’ and brash personalities. I think it’s important to find highly skilled colleagues who are not ambitious for the sake of ambition – but who are instead passionate about the project. We are doing this as a team.”

reMarkable was a very different company three years ago. Susanne describes her first meeting with the office as like entering a leisure club with a very informal atmosphere. At the same time, the gang had broken all kinds of records.

“There was so much focus on the product! Although on the surface, it didn’t quite match what I had envisioned for my career and ambitions – people in suits in pristine offices with glass walls – they were so determined and focused, and they had achieved results to prove that what they did worked.”

reMarkable works in sprints of eight to ten weeks. Before and after each sprint, the entire company gathers to plan and evaluate the work. This means that everyone always knows what the rest of the company is working on, and has insight into areas such as software development, customer relations or design.

“Although I have one of the less product-oriented functions, I still have the insight that allows me to explain our technology in relative depth. I feel this is unique.”

reMarkable is a Norwegian company that has managed to achieve something few Norwegians have ever done: successfully placed an electronic consumer product out on the global market.

This is a Norwegian technological odyssey, and it’s important to come along on the ride – because who knows when there will be another chance?

“When I get old, and reMarkable has become the global technology company we aim to be – a company equal to Apple or Samsung – I can tell my future grandchildren: You know what? I was actually involved in building that!”

Susanne

Susanne, People & Culture, is one of the reasons why reMarkable has grown from 3 to 450 employees in just five years

Right from the start, the majority of reMarkable’s sales has been regenerated by the company’s own website. Alf Gunnar is responsible for the Store team.

“We have worked systematically for several years to improve our website. Our excellent sales results are attributable to long-term work and continuous improvement of our website.”

At reMarkable, all departments work on insight and testing. With respect to the website, Alf Gunnar mentions A/B testing. We prepare two versions of the website, where half of the customers have access to one version, and the other half can access the other. We then determine which version does best, and we create hypotheses according to what we think will work best, based on the data and feedback we receive.

“We have a lot of freedom to decide how we want to do things, as well as how we want to work to find the best solutions. We are a dedicated team working on the same things, and we feel a strong sense of ownership and freedom to create something truly great. I think this leads to a desire to get things done and to be results-oriented in our work.”

An idea for the website can come from anywhere in the company. The Store team has discussions with people both above and within the team, in addition to people in other departments. The team has its own employees working specifically on improvements to the website. They collect ideas, rank them, and send what they believe will work best to the development team.

At the end of the day, the Store team is focused on results. Online sales generate 99 per cent of our revenue. We are focused on sales figures, as these are a measurement of our success. Alf Gunnar explains that even small changes can have a major impact, and they are therefore continuously working on improvements.

“There are so many skilled elements at reMarkable, and our task is to communicate this and convert it to sales. Since we are making this fantastic product, I believe this gives us a big responsibility. It is our responsibility to ensure that people understand how good this product is and how it can improve their daily lives. Naturally, we also feel some pressure, but more than anything, it is exciting to work on something that is of such importance for the company.”

reMarkable is still a young and relatively small company. We have high global ambitions for everything we do, and a relatively small team to get things done. This means that every person at the company is essential, and that we must make some strict priorities.

“We are an entirely new technology company with a brand-new product. Each team has a specific area of responsibility and has a duty to deliver. There are no other parts of the organisation working on the same thing. Therefore, the value of each person’s work at the company becomes very apparent. This is motivating and means that we can have big dreams and work to achieve our ambitions.”

There is no higher body in another country sitting on a blueprint that shows how things must be done or how we must solve our problems. We therefore have a lot of freedom to create the solutions we feel are best, based on the data and insight.

“It is very exciting to continually work on new initiatives for improvement. We work at a high level in a strategic fashion over time, also on small details. Much of our work is done in-house. We do most of our coding ourselves and own the whole stack.”

The Store team is a tech development environment with many developers on the team. Compared to many other companies, reMarkable has no “baggage”. While many store companies are struggling with older systems from the 80s, our oldest is from 2016.

“We don’t have the frustration many companies experience with old and slow systems, so our tempo is much higher. That is incredibly cool.”

reMarkable has been aware of the importance of both internal culture and organisation from the very beginning. Culture is not something that happens on its own. It must be created, preserved, and prioritised.

“Leadership at reMarkable has been conscious of this from an early stage and has dared to believe that this would become a major company. The aim was to build and develop based on this ambition, instead of taking one day at a time. They also have a strong ownership of the culture and our values. That is contagious.”

Alf Gunnar

Alf Gunnar, E-commerce, is one of the reasons why reMarkable is sold in 39 countries

Nearly three years ago, Henrik was at the world’s biggest technology conference in Las Vegas. At the conference, tech companies from all over the world presented their products to journalists, including some from TIME magazine.

“I had a conversation with a journalist from TIME magazine. He found reMarkable to be a refreshing product that he wanted to try.”

January 2020 saw the launch of reMarkable 2, the world’s thinnest paper tablet. Journalists around the globe have tested the product and requested interviews. TIME magazine was one of them.

“Each year, TIME magazine publishes a list of the 100 Best Inventions of the Year. They sent us an email saying they wanted to nominate us for the list. Patrick, the journalist, remembered us from the conference three years ago.”

The journalists at TIME were among the first to test the new product. At the end of November, two days before the magazine was published, reMarkable learned that it was included in the list.

“... And not only were we included, but we were also on the cover. TIME is one of the most renowned magazines in the world. This was a huge acknowledgement. I don’t know any other tech company in Norway that has been on the cover of TIME.”

reMarkable has a clear communication strategy that involves long-term brand building. The company must be involved in the right things – not in everything.

“I think our strategy actually makes it easier for journalists, because they can try the product themselves. We say no quite often. We’re not interested in getting the most attention – we want the best possible attention. We get involved in things that will build our brand, and that are seen as trustworthy.”

reMarkable has a large customer base on the east and west coasts of the United States, including Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg. In a Zoom interview with immunologist Anthony Fauci, Zuckerberg could be seen diligently making notes on his reMarkable.

“We don’t try to be like everyone else or create a tablet that suits most people. We want to create a product that works best for those who want to focus and write, which provides a good angle to describe the product. Although it may not be for everyone, it’s a good fit for many. The fact that Zuckerberg is a customer shows we’re on our way to achieving something big.”

At reMarkable, employees collaborate across departments, and there’s a strong focus on internal transparency. All employees have a good overview of the steps the company needs to take at any given time.

“Cross-departmental information sharing is both useful and inspiring. It makes it possible to offer advice to other departments. This allows us to move in the same direction, which is very powerful. The most important thing for the company is not each employee’s tasks, but rather how we work together to achieve our next goal.”

reMarkable is a high-growth company. Our challenge is to do the right things to ensure that we identify all opportunities. At reMarkable, focusing on culture is one of our most important priorities to ensure that this strong growth continues.

“reMarkable is about working hard together to solve truly difficult problems. Being engaged and growing together and individually is crucial to the culture we want to create. I hope to help create a culture and workplace where we can challenge and motivate one another every day.”

Henrik

Henrik, VP of Communications, is one of the reasons why reMarkable made the cover of TIME magazine

Thomas started as an app developer in 2018, but when reMarkable was about to produce the second generation, he began working on embedded programming. The idea was to optimise the entire journey, from the moment the pen is on the tablet until the line appears on the “paper". The aim is for this to move as quickly as possible.

“The reason I chose to work with this is partly based on my own interests. There is something that makes it feel more like paper – where the line doesn’t linger while you’re writing. I really enjoy learning about all the things that cause response latencies. Improve them and make the writing experience even better.”

Instead of a cluster of small lightbulbs, there are real ink particles that merge when the pen touches the surface of reMarkable 2. The result should feel like writing on paper.

“There has been a focus on the world’s thinnest and the world’s fastest, but the most important thing is to make it as close to paper as possible. Paper is hard to beat, since it is infinitely intuitive and has zero latencies. Our goal is to create the same experience. Basically, it seems impossible – but we will never give up trying.”

Thomas says that he has worn out numerous reMarkable pen tips through hours and months of drawing and learning about the latencies.

“Not everything can be measured. Some things have to be experienced and felt. I have really tried to get to know and feel the product to understand its issues.”

An internal culture is a very different experience when everyone is working from home. According to Thomas, the culture has always been, and still is very open and accommodating.

“We have grown a lot, but if you speak up, your ideas will always be heard. Everyone has wanted to preserve the culture from day one. The few founders are working to preserve it, and they are really making an effort to maintain what we employees feel is valuable.”

Thomas believes it would take a lot for reMarkable to say that something was impossible. Before abandoning an idea, you must first prove that it is not feasible.

“It’s not enough to say that it has never been done before, and we strive to view everything from the bottom up. Why does it feel impossible? And what can we do about whatever feels that way?”

Just because something does not already exist doesn’t mean it is impossible to create. The teams test, discuss and collaborate across fields to ensure continuous improvement.

“The most motivating aspect is that this is a good place to work, and that you are heard. The culture is amazing – although it was even better before we started working from home. I just hope that the lockdown is finished by summer. If so, I think everyone will be eager to meet up again at the office, and for another epic summer party!”

Thomas

Thomas, Research and Development, is one of the reasons why reMarkable is the world’s fastest digital paper

While developing reMarkable 2, Mats Herding, Chief Design Officer, documented how thin each and every component in the product could be – in micrometres. The thinner the reMarkable 2 became, the more it would feel like writing on paper.

“Paper doesn’t take up much room in a bag or on a desk. We wanted to create something that is light and feels light – and our greatest ambition was of course to create the world’s thinnest tablet. That was our goal.”

The problem, explains Mats, is that you can’t simply stack all the various components on top of each other and expect the product to be as thin as paper. We had to be innovative in terms of shape, placement, and materials.

When reMarkable 1 was launched, reMarkable was still a young and inexperienced company. Mats says that the first device primarily functioned as proof. Proof of the writing experience and proof that big dreams could come true.

“We were a small team that had to learn everything for the first time. Then we had to make a few compromises. When we started on reMarkable 2, we wanted to win all the battles we didn’t win last time. We wanted to refine the idea and the experience.”

“We were literally running around in China, trying to encourage people to think differently. The electronics industry appears extremely innovative, but it’s surprisingly reluctant to change. We were trying to disprove everyone who told us it wasn’t possible.”

The electronics industry is dominated by mobile phones, so all suppliers are geared up for this product. reMarkable wanted to make something half as thick and twice as big – a brand new tool for a completely different purpose.

“We had to get the manufacturers to reconsider the way they create their components. We had to tell people repeatedly that it was possible to do it. Finally, the suppliers agreed.”

Mats says that the combination of ambition and belief in a vision is what allows us to accomplish what others say is impossible.

“Many suppliers were sceptical and wanted to continue the same type of production. However, this time we had more muscle and more confidence. Rational thinking told us that our vision and ambition for the product were possible, so we continued to push.”

Mats believes that the influence employees have at reMarkable is unlimited.

“At reMarkable, we are always encouraged to use our initiative. You will never be told what to do or how to do it. This presents huge opportunities. Other companies have very strict process descriptions for every single project. This is not how we want things done. We want to give people confidence and more opportunities to solve problems and develop products with different approaches …”

For Mats, the future involves building Norway’s most attractive design environment. reMarkable’s design department currently has a multidisciplinary composition that is very rare in Norway. He believes that this in itself is a unique opportunity for designers looking to develop themselves. Our goal is to become a global player – one of the biggest.

“So, we need to take on some major challenges and make some ambitious pledges, but we are used to that.”

Mats

Mats, Chief Design Officer, is one of the reasons why reMarkable 2 is the world’s thinnest tablet

Our vision involves getting people to think better. The purpose of working with user interviews and insight is to understand how people can think better. What type of behaviour is behind this, and what sort of needs should be covered?

When Mariana started at reMarkable three years ago, she had a broad remit in design. Today, her main focus is on customer insight and understanding their needs. Her team is working to ensure that we can create the experience our customers want and a product they need.

“When we interview people, they often tell us indirectly what they want. Our job is to understand the context and realise what they actually want and need. You can’t always get that with simple yes or no questions. Qualitative interviews have always been, and still are, very important to us.”

Before the launch of reMarkable 2, the team was hard at work on insight and testing prototypes.

“This was confidential, so we established an internal group comprised of friends, acquaintances and family. Everything we did was tested on a group we trusted and knew. This meant that we had more freedom for testing. We tested concepts, drafts, materials, colours, systems and 3D prints of the product and its accessories. I don’t even remember how many tests we ran, but we tested throughout, and this is how we acquired insight.”

Mariana has been involved in testing and developing the writing surface, which should feel like writing on paper. Our first tests were conducted with analogue pens and sheets of paper to learn how people prefer to write. We quickly discovered that people have different preferences, and we continued our tests. This was important to us. The writing experience was key.

“We must understand our customers’ behaviour, conduct and use of technology. People’s lives are complex, and to understand how to think better, we must observe, listen, and comprehend. We must then explore reactions to the unknown through repeated tests – in this case, the writing experience itself on different surfaces. My team and I become the voice of our customers, which must be heard and understood in everything we do. We promise that our services will help you focus and think. And this is precisely what we must deliver.

Throughout her career, Mariana has largely worked for major companies in Norway, as a project consultant. She says there are four things that make her workday at reMarkable different.

“The first difference is the opportunity to be influential. The second is that you are a part of something bigger. The third involves the pace, and that things happen quickly. I find this extremely exciting. The fourth is that we are highly structured. We always hold meetings with all employees about things that are happening across the company. There are specific goals for the year, and everyone is informed and has the opportunity to contribute. These are the reasons I really love my job at reMarkable.”

Mariana

Mariana, Design Research, is one of the reasons why we completed more than 1,000 user interviews during the development of reMarkable 2

At reMarkable, we’re a committed and highly motivated team with a lot of love for what we do and the people we work with. Through collaboration, we create a generous, respectful, and supportive environment where people take the extra steps needed to help each other succeed as well as exceed expectations.

We are constantly expanding, and we need more ambitious thinkers ready to make a real difference through their work. If this excites you, get in touch, and together we can drive future success, celebrate milestones, and aim even higher.

There are 450 reasons for reMarkable’s success

Learn about 11 of them

reMarkable people

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