Guess who’s back, back again. The team is ready.
January always feels like a fresh start. Everybody comes back relaxed, recharged, full of stories and in some cases still recovering from the food overload.
And then there’s Simen, already preparing for an overload of new temporary people at the gym.
As a team, we learned a lot in 2025. And somewhere between the end of year rush and wrapping things up, we also found the time to prepare some bigger changes for 2026.
A big part of that happened internally. Cleaning up processes. Fixing handovers. Removing friction that slows teams down more than anyone likes to admit. Not glamorous work, but it makes a huge difference once things pick up. And it helps us support our clients better and deliver better results.
On top of that, we already have several go lives planned. Some in January, others spread throughout the year. We genuinely cannot wait to put the first project of the year live. It is already turning into a bit of an internal competition about which developer will get the unofficial award for the first go live of 2026.
There is also a lot happening in the Octily Content Editor and on other fronts. Improvements, additional features, and ideas that have been sitting on our list for a while are finally getting the attention they deserve. And yes, there are a few new things lined up that we are not quite ready to share yet. Soon.
All of that is exciting. But it is not the full story.
We always try to make space for personal development and for work that genuinely excites the team. So the real question is not just what we are working on, but what people are actually looking forward to this year.
Instead of writing about that from one perspective, we asked the team directly.
What are you most looking forward to working on in 2026 and why?
Fernanda, Junior Frontend Developer:
“Looking ahead to 2026, I’m especially excited about continuing to improve and optimize the way I write code. Having cleaner, more maintainable code makes a huge difference – it helps us work more efficiently, collaborate better, and build more reliable solutions. What really motivates me is how this creates more space for creativity. When the technical foundation is solid, I can focus more on designing thoughtful and engaging experiences for our clients. 2026 feels like a great year to grow as a frontend developer, work smarter, and bring even more creative ideas to life.“
Sanjeev, Frontend Developer:
“I’m excited about integrating AI and automation into everyday development workflows to streamline how we build, test, and ship features. For me as a developer, this means less time spent on manual overhead and more time creating well-architected, high-quality solutions.”
Lin, Full-Stack UX Designer:
“I’m excited to evolve our design system, create more advanced components in Figma with clickable prototypes, and add micro-interactions. I enjoy solving puzzles, so I’m also looking forward to helping tweak the implementation to make it perfect.“
Susan, Senior Project & Product Manager:
“It’s honestly impossible to pick just one thing. There are so many exciting (and challenging!) projects lined up for 2026 that it’s hard not to feel energised by what’s ahead.
What I’m especially excited about is that we’ve laid a really solid foundation for the Octily Content Editor. Now we’re at the stage where we can start optimising, refining, and adding extra functionality that makes working with OCE even smoother and more flexible. It’s all about making it easier for our clients to create great experiences, with more options and less friction. We’re also kicking off automated testing, which is a big step in keeping quality high as we continue to grow.
Alongside that, there’s a strong focus on improving our internal processes. It might sound less flashy, but it has a huge impact: better workflows mean we can support our clients more effectively, move faster, and consistently deliver the level of quality they expect from us.
And last – but definitely not least – I’m really looking forward to diving back into some creative projects. Designing thoughtful, engaging experiences for employees is where everything comes together for me, and there are some great opportunities coming up to really go all-in on that again.
In short: 2026 is shaping up to be a year of smart improvements, creative energy, and building even better experiences for our clients and their people.”
Bertrand, Frontend Developer:
“In 2026, I would like to work on projects that stimulate my creativity and help me discover new technical challenges. Animation, 3D and gamification would be awesome!”
Daniel, CTO:
“What I’m most excited about in 2026 is building things that feel like a real step-change: AI features that genuinely help (not gimmicks), OCE improvements that make the platform more powerful and pleasant to use every day. Discovering new services that let us ship even more awesome projects faster.”
Simen, Senior Project Manager:
“What I’m most excited about in 2026 is continuing to work more efficiently and intentionally – especially when it comes to repetitive or less exciting tasks. Improving our internal tools and workflows, will help us rely more on stable foundations and focus on delivering real value instead of reinventing solutions.What I particularly enjoy is the variety of projects and challenges we’re working on. On the one hand, there are familiar projects where we can build on experience and stay within our comfort zone. On the other hand, there are completely new topics where we first need to figure out how to access data, design solutions, and implement them from scratch. That mix keeps the work exciting and constantly pushes us to learn. I’m also looking forward to making stronger use of AI support to streamline daily work and free up time for more meaningful problem-solving.
Finally, I want to keep improving how we investigate issues early on. Better logging and clearer insights into what’s happening behind the scenes can save development time and help us resolve problems faster. Overall, 2026 feels like a year of smarter work, better planning, and continued growth.“
Rob, CEO:
“This year, I’m focused on improving the invisible stuff – strengthening the glue between people, cutting through process complexity, removing friction, and creating real clarity. In short: less noise, more signal. At the same time, I’ll be honest – the combined impact of AI, robotics, and autonomous systems is both exciting and unsettling. It got me thinking. We wanted AI to take care of the boring stuff, and suddenly it’s writing, designing, developing, composing, and getting pretty artsy lately. Since it’s rise, I’ve been using AI extensively to supercharge my own creativity, which sharpens the real question for 2026: where is the right (and moral) intersection between humans and AI? Especially in a productive business environment – and when sensitive data is involved. How much context do we give the machine while still protecting our dearest secrets? Finding a future-proof division of labor between thinking, creating, and executing is no longer theoretical – it’s essential. Ultimately, I want to help our team and our clients achieve more with less complexity. HR teams are under constant and increasing pressure from all sides, and our job is to help them breathe again, succeed with confidence, and create better employee experiences – so that, in the end, every of their colleagues benefits from the creative thinking happening beneath the surface.“
Michelle, Videographer & Editor:
“I’m really excited to build on what we learned from our work last year and use those insights to create even better and more informative videos in 2026. On top of that, I’m looking forward to seeing my colleagues again at our offsites, because that’s where collaboration feels the most inspiring and fun.“
Anna, Chief Design Officer (CDO):
“After several years of customizing Cornerstone for clients and focusing primarily on HR solutions, I’m most excited in 2026 to expand my work into internal communication and branding. I’m particularly motivated to design the elements organizations need to communicate effectively, such as logos, corporate design manuals, and user-centered website experiences, because it allows me to combine strategic thinking, creativity, and UX design to create cohesive and meaningful brand experiences.“
Thinking About What’s Next for Your Team?
Get in touch, send an email, or book a meeting. We would love to explore what we can create together.
