Copenhagen in late September was at its most cinematic: clear skies, red-brick warehouses draped in ivy, and a steady flow of designers, engineers and product leaders rolling up on bicycles. Inside Lokomotivværkstedet, an old train hall now filled with light and conversation, hundreds of people gathered for Future Product Days 2025: three days dedicated to the craft of building products that matter.
From Branchspace, Dorota Ziajka and Maciek Zarychta joined the event, part conference, part workshop festival, to immerse themselves in talks spanning psychology in design, AI-assisted product definition, and trust-based leadership. Their reflections capture why spaces like this are essential not only for inspiration but for grounding how we build in travel tech.
When clarity becomes culture
In one of the opening workshops, Applying the ESI Framework, teams explored how to bridge user goals, system logic and design intent. The message was simple yet powerful: start with clarity. Define what success looks like and why we’re doing it, before anything else.
That theme echoed throughout the conference. Whether in Petter Hornfeldt’s aviation-inspired session on decision-making or in conversations about AI tools and team dynamics, clarity kept resurfacing as the foundation of trust. “If it works in the sky, it works in the office,” Hornfeldt said, drawing a smile from the crowd.
Dorota left with a note that feels universal for product teams: act as enablers of understanding. Connect business goals with user needs. Make progress visible. Create spaces where teams can talk about mistakes without fear because that’s where real learning happens.
Building with empathy, not ego
Across sessions, the focus repeatedly turned to empathy and psychological safety. In one memorable slide, a speaker stated bluntly: “We don’t work with brilliant assholes, only cool rockstars.” Teams that trust one another move faster, share ownership, and ultimately build better products.
Maciek’s standout session, The Future of the Product Creator, led by Tobias Ahlin (Hacker, GitHub / Spotify alumni), explored how great products come from teams that mix bold experimentation with empathy. His key line: “Design not just for users, but with them.”
That thinking resonated with the Branchspace mindset. Our best work happens when product, design and engineering move as one. When experimentation is not a luxury but a habit.
From unused features to human-centred impact
One talk analysed why great features often go unused, highlighting that even well-built functions can fail without discoverability or context. A favourite example was Amazon’s AI assistant “Rufus”: praised by those who found it, missed by the majority because its icon sat hidden in a top-left corner.
The takeaway was clear: a product’s success is measured not by what it can do, but by how easily people can find and value it.
This principle surfaced again in a case study from TENA, whose team reimagined its mission from selling a necessary product to restoring dignity. By designing a discreet, sensor-based wearable that integrates with Apple Watch, they reframed the problem itself. The message: the best innovation begins with empathy, not features.
“Be the best mover, not the first”
Friday’s all-day session What’s New in Digital Products challenged the obsession with speed. It argued that product excellence doesn’t come from being first to market but from being the best mover: deliberate, high-quality, and purposeful.
That idea mirrors our approach at Branchspace. In airline retailing, rushing transformation can break trust, while measured, quality-driven execution builds loyalty. For us, best mover thinking means maintaining high standards, giving developers space to solve creatively, and anchoring every release to tangible value for travellers and airlines alike.
How this shapes our work at Branchspace
Returning from Copenhagen, our team brought back more than notes. We brought a reaffirmed belief that:
- Clarity precedes speed — define vision before delivery.
- Empathy shapes impact — solve for people, not features.
- Trust fuels creativity — safety in teams produces better design.
- Quality outlasts novelty — aim to be best mover, not just fastest.
These principles directly inform how we continue to evolve our Triplake platform and Transform consulting work: ensuring product strategy, UX design and engineering stay tightly linked, and that experimentation remains disciplined but fearless.
Final thought
As one speaker put it, “When you shape a product, you shape society.” That line stayed with us. At Branchspace, shaping the future of airline retailing means crafting experiences that reflect clarity, empathy and purpose.
And that’s exactly what events like Future Product Days remind us to do.
