Open tools
Practical instruments for research, synthesis, prototyping, and design automation.
A publication by Helium · Issue 00
The systems behind
good product work.
Open-source tools, operating procedures, and field notes for research, design, and product management in the age of AI.
EST. 2026SEA — 47.6062° N
Your research repository is not a research system
A useful research practice connects evidence to decisions. Most repositories stop at storage.
Read the field note ↗002Open SOP
An SOP for AI-assisted research synthesis
Use machines for breadth and humans for judgment. A repeatable six-stage protocol.
003Position
Design automation needs governance, not just prompts
When design work becomes executable, the system around it becomes part of the design.
Editorial shelves
Useful by design.
Butr publishes work that can be questioned, adapted, and put into practice. Where possible, every argument becomes a tool and every tool includes instructions.
Operating procedures
Repeatable ways to run the consequential parts of product work.
Field notes
Arguments and observations from product practice in a more complicated world.
Not content for content’s sake.