Himmelheim
Studio

We believe software must earn its place in your life.

Human-centred AI-powered Private by design

Values

Experience is not a layer.

We design from the outside in — beginning with the person who will use the software, not the system that will run it. The interface is the last thing we design. Before the first screen is drawn, we have mapped the data, the workflow, and every decision a person will need to make.

"If our software needs training to use, we've failed."

Privacy is not a feature.

Most privacy failures begin before any breach — in systems that collect more than they need, concentrating data that becomes a target. We start from the opposite principle: we only collect what is necessary to do the job. Thoughtfully held, minimally scoped, designed in from the first line of code.

"There is no point breaking into a system that doesn't hold anything sensitive."

Trust is built before the software ships.

Before you can trust our software, you need to trust us. That means working transparently and candidly — sharing what is working, what is not, and why — from the first conversation to the last release. Our partners can read our documentation, inspect our architecture, and follow every decision we have made.

"We will tell you hard truths early. There is no other way to build a foundation that holds."

Our Work

How do you learn to write authentically in a world where generative AI will write for you?

StoryFort

A student sits down to write a story. Every tool around them offers to write it for them. StoryFort doesn't. It asks questions, offers possibilities, and waits for the student to find their own words. The story that emerges is theirs — entirely.

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Paper Airplane

A student learning to build an argument in a world that will argue for them. Paper Airplane gives students the tools to think, research, and write — without doing their thinking for them.

People

John Robins

I have spent twenty-five years in technology, the last six delivering high-impact AI solutions in a regulated environment at a major national financial services firm. The values that define Himmelheim Studio — human-centred design, privacy by default, transparent craftsmanship — are not a philosophy I developed for a pitch deck. They are the method I have used to build systems that work for the people who depend on them, in environments where getting it wrong has consequences.

I started Himmelheim Studio because I believe the same standard of care should apply to every piece of software that earns a place in someone's life.

AI Product Owner · Financial Services · 6 years in regulated AI delivery

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Let's talk.

Whether you're a school exploring a pilot, a developer who shares these values, or an investor who wants to understand what we're building — I'd like to hear from you.