Virtual Office for Spontaneous Exchange
Circls
Circls is a virtual office and video conferencing tool that makes tickets transparent and encourages quick and spontaneous exchange of information. The idea of Circls came to me at the end of 2020 when I was writing my bachelor's thesis. At that time, I was looking for a tool that replaces the office as a place of visibility and spontaneous exchange. None of the existing tools suited these needs, so I started to investigate the area of digital workspaces in depth. After a detailed and extensive survey, user interviews and spending a long time improving the idea and building several prototypes, I decided to embark on the journey of founding my own company to give Circls a face.
Balancing the integration of innovative features with maintaining system stability and performance.
Developing a product from the ground up with everything that comes with it: product strategy, product development, marketing strategy, business plan
In the field of product design: research, market and competition analysis, user interviews, usability tests, brand identity, design system, wireframes and prototypes
1 designer, 1 sales representative, 1 developer
Problems and Solutions
Since the project was still in its early stages, I had to take on the initial technical responsibilities myself to determine the feasibility of implementing an automated availability status using AI technologies.
I delved into NLP techniques, especially text analysis and its possibilities, and gained a basic understanding of them to determine if we could develop the automated availability status.
Validating whether the core functions being developed meets the needs of its target users. Ensuring alignment with user needs is crucial for creating the right product-market fit.
We conducted user tests with each integration of a new feature to gather as much feedback as possible on usability and utility.
Ensuring that potential team members share the same values, work ethic, and vision for the startup. I stopped working on Circls after two years because I couldn't find a co-founder/developer who was as invested in the goal as I was.
Today I would invest more time in finding the ideal co-founder before I start with the core implementation of the product.
Result
Circls is a cross-platform virtual office and video conferencing tool for a better spontaneous exchanges related to tasks. With the ability to integrate Jira, Circls enables teammates to stay informed about each other's tasks, fostering better understanding among team members and encouraging spontaneous exchanges.
With Circls, we managed our first product rollout, enabling initial users to test and utilize the web app. However, despite onboarding and tours, we faced the challenge that for users it was difficult to understand the navigation in the virtual office. This prompted us to partially pivot, simplifying the app's structure and navigation to enhance its usability and refine its value proposition.
Final Thoughts
Creating Circls was like a love letter to building products. I truly had a blast creating it. There were some very frustrating times as well, but I'm grateful I had a great community of engineers here in Berlin to give me advice in terms of technical feasibility.
Facts
One of my significant achievements was getting the EXIST scholarship (funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy - BMWK) entirely on my own, despite the typically collaborative nature of the application process, where three people are usually involved. This experience has strengthened my resilience and adaptability as an entrepreneur.
Credits
Made With
Cooperation With
The Interface Design program at FH Potsdam focuses on the interdisciplinary study of designing digital interfaces for various platforms, emphasizing user-centered design principles and creative problem-solving approaches.
