Independent software design studio · Chicago / Remote

Useful software, made distinctly human.

We build focused digital products for modern work, everyday wellbeing, and the communities between them.

Explore our applications Meet the studio
A diverse team collaborating around a wooden table with laptops, tablets and notebooks in a bright studio.

Three applications. One point of view: clarity earns trust.

What we do

Small teams. Clear bets. Products built to last.

Thorman partners with ambitious organizations and also operates our own applications—keeping our craft accountable to real users and real outcomes.

  • 01

    Product strategy

    Shape a useful proposition, roadmap, and reason to exist.

  • 02

    Experience design

    Turn complex systems into calm, legible interactions.

  • 03

    Software delivery

    Build resilient products from prototype through release.

Our applications

Three purposeful paths forward.

Each product serves a different kind of progress. Choose the one that fits the work in front of you.

01 / Portfolio management

Asset Portfolio Manager

One trustworthy view of every asset you manage. Asset Portfolio Manager brings holdings, valuations, and performance together so teams can see the whole picture.

  • One register of every asset
  • Clear allocation and performance
  • Reports without the spreadsheets
Explore Asset Portfolio Manager

02 / Independent wellbeing

Harbor

Private, practical support for steadier days. Harbor brings guided reflection, simple routines, and human coaching into one considered place.

  • Private by design
  • Five-minute practices
  • Human guidance
Visit Harbor
Harbor mobile app held in a hand, showing a morning check-in and a list of daily habits.

03 / Community operations

Commonroom

The member platform for groups that gather with purpose. Plan programs, welcome people, and understand what keeps a community thriving.

  • One member record
  • Simple programming
  • Meaningful signals
Visit Commonroom
Commonroom community dashboard on a desktop monitor, showing engagement charts, events and a member directory.

How we work

Deliberate from first question to daily use.

Senior designers and engineers stay close to the work. No relay races, no inflated teams, no disappearing act after launch.

  1. 01

    Frame

    Define the user, tension, and smallest meaningful promise.

  2. 02

    Make

    Prototype the riskiest ideas early and learn in the open.

  3. 03

    Refine

    Build the system carefully, from interaction to infrastructure.

  4. 04

    Steward

    Measure what matters and evolve the product with its people.

Evidence over theater

Work that earns its place.

We measure success in changed behavior, durable systems, and teams that feel more capable than when we arrived.

  • 42%

    less time from research to decision

  • 3.2×

    more active community participation

  • 88%

    of Harbor members return each week

Trusted by Alder Health · Northline Foundation · Arcwell · City Bureau · Hightower Cooperative

The people in the room

A senior, multidisciplinary studio.

We are designers, researchers, and engineers who prefer thoughtful questions, direct collaboration, and leaving the work better than we found it.

  • Portrait of Mara Thorman seated at a desk in a sunlit studio.

    Mara Thorman

    Founder & Design Director

  • Portrait of Eli Navarro standing with arms crossed in a bright studio.

    Eli Navarro

    Partner, Engineering

  • Portrait of Nina Okafor resting her chin on her hand at a wooden desk.

    Nina Okafor

    Product Strategy Lead

  • Portrait of Jon Bell sketching at a desk beside a window.

    Jon Bell

    Principal Designer

  • Portrait of Samira Patel smiling with a pen and open notebook.

    Samira Patel

    Research Lead

  • Portrait of Theo Park holding a mug at a desk with a laptop.

    Theo Park

    Staff Engineer

Have a useful problem?

Let’s make something people choose to keep.

Tell us what you’re building