Michael Hessen

Business · strategy · AI-assisted building

I turn ideas into things people can use.

I often notice things that could work better. Then I try to understand the problem and build a solution people can actually use.

See the projects

Seven projects in order

It started small and grew from there.

My first project helped one person in everyday life. After that, I built tools for personal targets, sensitive workflows, training and political work. The projects grew, but my way of working stayed quite simple. I found out what was needed and built something that could be used directly.

01

First came a specific need

Magen

Someone close to me had recurring stomach pain and needed a simpler way to understand when it happened and what might affect it.

It became my first real project. I built a calm page for daily logging and a statistics view that showed patterns over time.

I did not want to collect data just for the sake of it. Logging had to be simple enough to do every day. The statistics then had to be clear enough to lead to better questions and a better picture of the situation.

My first project showed me that a clear problem is a good place to start.
  • Focus
  • Statistics
  • First project
Original app · separate demo environmentOpen app in a new tab
02

Then I needed faster feedback

KS Bank

At work, feedback on my targets arrived later than I needed it. After I reached the company target, I set my own targets and needed a way to follow them myself.

I built a measurement view that showed progress while the work was still happening. This let me see if what I was doing actually moved me closer to the next target.

Each case also ended with recurring administration. AI could not be used directly in the sensitive environment. I therefore built a template-based flow where I selected the case type, added the specific details and got consistent text without sensitive information leaving the environment.

Faster feedback made it easier to direct my own work.
  • Goals
  • Measurement
  • Safe process
Original app · separate demo environmentOpen app in a new tab
03

A smaller problem got a smaller solution

Pomodoro

I sometimes needed a little more discipline. That did not require a large system.

I built a simple pomodoro timer that made the start clear. First one limited work session, then a visible break and after that a new session.

This project reminded me that a small tool can be very useful when it removes the right obstacle.

The simple solution is often the one that actually gets used.
  • Focus
  • Simplicity
  • Everyday discipline
Original app · separate demo environmentOpen app in a new tab
04

I wanted to train in my own way

THENY

I could not find a training app that combined my training in the way I wanted. So I built one for myself.

Calisthenics is strength training with bodyweight where control and gradual progress are important. I wanted to combine it with traditional weight training without choosing one or the other.

THENY became a tool for planning sessions, following progress and adapting training to how I actually train. I did not have to follow a fixed template that someone else had decided.

The way I train became a clear list of requirements for the app.
  • Calisthenics
  • Weight training
  • Progression
Visit THENY
Original app · separate demo environmentOpen app in a new tab
05

At work, more people relied on the solution

Västerås Moderaterna

When I started as a political advisor, publishing a regular post took about fifteen minutes and required more technical work than it should have.

I rebuilt vasterasmoderaterna.se from the ground up with Next.js, Prisma and Turso. AI-assisted programming, mainly Claude Code, helped me own the code and adapt the flow to how we actually work.

An admin page and semi-automated steps made publishing possible for colleagues who do not code. The same way of thinking led to smaller internal tools that clean phone lists and compile attendance and statistics.

The solution became more useful when colleagues could manage the work themselves.
  • Next.js
  • Prisma
  • Turso
  • Self-service
Visit vasterasmoderaterna.se

What the tour shows

  1. The dashboard gathers content and categories in one overview.
  2. A new post starts from a Drive link, receives a title and category, and is reviewed before publishing.
  3. The workspace shows a synthetic CSV being cleaned for use as a phone list.
  4. Attendance and substitute data is assembled in a table for review before export.
06

Election information got a different entry point

Election 2026

For the election, I wanted to make the information less formal, more playful and closer to where people actually live.

The election site collects the most important information without becoming a document archive. Its interactive map lets people click through to questions for different areas and see how the full picture connects to their own neighbourhood.

Visitors choose both what they want to read and where they want to begin. The map does more than show information. It helps people find their way into it.

A clear place to begin can make a large amount of information easier to understand.
  • Interactive map
  • Election information
  • Accessibility
Original app · separate demo environmentOpen app in a new tab
07

The final result was a printed publication

The policy platform

I designed and produced the full municipal policy platform in-house, from the content structure to the finished printed publication.

Because we owned the process ourselves, we could work closer to the content, make more considered versions and keep the knowledge inside the organisation.

The platform keeps its physical character here. The page turner uses the twenty real pages and not a stylised interpretation.

Working on form and content at the same time made the platform easier to understand and clearly our own.
  • Art direction
  • Layout
  • In-house production
Page 1
Page 2

Page 1–2 of 20

Use the buttons, swipe or the keyboard arrow keys.

Open the policy platform as a PDF

Page 1
Page 1
Page 2
Page 2
Page 3
Page 3
Page 4
Page 4
Page 5
Page 5
Page 6
Page 6
Page 7
Page 7
Page 8
Page 8
Page 9
Page 9
Page 10
Page 10
Page 11
Page 11
Page 12
Page 12
Page 13
Page 13
Page 14
Page 14
Page 15
Page 15
Page 16
Page 16
Page 17
Page 17
Page 18
Page 18
Page 19
Page 19
Page 20
Page 20