“Perfect is the enemy of good.”

– Voltaire

This article is for those curious about our design philosophy — how we work with real users to develop real-world solutions. We don’t believe in perfection. We believe in learning through action, iteration, and honest feedback. The moment you believe you're done, you stop improving. And when you stop improving, you start falling behind.

At UR, we build tools for people under pressure. For us, releasing a product doesn't mean it's finished. It means it's better than what came before. And now the real work begins.

No product is ever finished, only released

A product isn't finished just because it's launched. That moment is only the beginning, a foundation for further improvements.

And yet, so many products stay unchanged for decades. Why? Because commercial forces reward long production runs, predictability, and scale. Change is expensive. Risk is undesirable. And innovation often loses to logistics and margins.

We believe the opposite. Truly great products are shaped over time and in contact with the challenges they're meant to solve. New insights emerge. Needs become clearer. For us, "finished" simply means it's better than what existed, and that the job is finally underway.

User involvement: Common in words. Rare in action

One of the first prototypes being tested by a rescue crew inside the helicopter, to check fit with the stretcher and room for the equipment they bring on missions.

Everyone talks about user involvement. Few actually speak with them. And even fewer place users at the heart of business and product development.

I'm tired of reading slogans like "Made by X for X." That means nothing unless the creators have been present in the situations the product is built for. If you haven't felt the pressure, the cold, or how long it takes to unzip something with wet gloves, you don’t know what’s needed. That’s why we develop with users. From first sketch to field testing.

A later-stage Berge Thermo prototype undergoing lift testing during an international winter exercise in Rukan.

A resized Berge Lite used in practical training during the Diploma in Mountain Medicine course in Scotland.

And NO!, this isn’t about being romantic or anti-commercial. It’s the opposite. Innovation and economics can go hand in hand. The strongest products combine real-world relevance with real-world value. But doing that requires a different business model and a different culture.

Our addition bias

With so much gear involved in rescue operations, the challenge is clear: reduce complexity and make each new tool as intuitive as possible.

When something doesn’t work, our first instinct is often to add something. A new feature. A new part. A new function.

But if you truly understand the problem your product is meant to solve, you’ll realize the answer is rarely to add. It’s to remove. Simplify. Streamline. Do fewer things, and do them better.

That takes more insight, more confidence, and more effort than just adding another layer. But it leads to better products.

And yes, it goes against our nature.

The No Compromise Bullshit

During the NROF – Norwegian Medic Challenge, a competing team pushed Berge Thermo through demanding medical scenarios and rough field use.© Medic Makeup Norway

We’re tired of the ‘no compromise’ label being thrown around like it actually means something — as if it signals high value.

It’s another empty phrase, just like “exclusive” or “premium.” Every product decision involves trade-offs. Every choice prioritizes one thing at the expense of another.

Claiming something is “no compromise” reveals you haven’t understood the real-world context. Or that you’ve never been there yourself. It’s the kind of language marketing teams love, but it’s meaningless to the user.

A good product isn’t uncompromising. It’s deliberate. Prioritized. Tested. And adapted to the world it’s meant to work in.

A practical example from our latest training

Earlier this June, we got to put all of this into practice. In a joint training scenario with the Norwegian Sea Rescue Society (Redningsselkapet) and Korsegården Fire Department, Berge Rescue Bag was tested in a real-world simulation.

Crew preparing for a sea rescue drill with Berge Thermo.

We saw how Berge performs in yet another scenario, this time in collaboration with two critical user environments. A full demo, operational training, debriefs, and direct feedback. We also built important new connections with professionals who work every day to improve the chain of survival.

For safe handling on small, moving surfaces at sea, lift handles must be easy to grab and comfortable to carry.

We know Berge is just one small piece of a much larger puzzle. But it’s incredibly meaningful to hear that it helps. That it makes the job easier and increases the chance of survival for people pulled from cold water.

The bag should be opened as little as possible to prevent the hypothermic patient from being exposed to the cold.

We got to experience this from the inside—literally. I was a test subject, cold and lying inside the bag, feeling firsthand how Berge returns warmth to the body.

Experiencing it firsthand, I realized how critical the 360-degree and chest access is — enabling care without sacrificing warmth. All pictures from exercise ©Hansen Protection AS / Christian Kulmus

And concretely: in the upcoming production run, we’re adding a HEAD marking at the top of the bag for easier orientation when pulling it from the stuff sack. The zipper pulls will also have added knots for better handling with gloves…

Thanks for reading,

Henrik - Chief Doer