Halloran
urgentBoiler not firing
1h 30mNorthgas
Ideas, Experiments, Working builds
Manual work, turned into something you can see.
Most of a small business runs on steps that only exist in someone’s head and an inbox. That isn’t just slow — it’s invisible, so nothing about it can be measured, handed over or improved. Below are four of those weeks: the old way as it really looks, and a working version of the new one you can drive.
Four working prototypes
Pick the one that looks like your week.
These are working prototypes, not products. The interactions are real — drive them. The businesses and names are invented, and every figure is computed from the demo in front of you rather than from a client result.
Tomorrow’s jobs go out on a printed sheet. It cannot add up, so an overbooked day only shows at 4pm.
What gets built
- A board where a day’s work is one screen, not a sheet
- Travel counted between areas, including the first trip out
- Shift capacity that fills up in front of you
- Certification enforced — a gas job cannot land on the wrong person
Where the AI is
Suggests the order to visit a run of jobs, and flags the clashes a dispatcher would only spot by reading the whole board — a long job squeezed before a hard finish time, two urgent calls in opposite directions.
It never assigns anyone. A dispatcher knows who is having a bad week and which customer asks for Marta; the board proposes, a person decides.
Heating & plumbing: Who is going where today
Fenwick Heating · 3 engineers
Monday, 4:10pm
- 7 jobs for tomorrow
- 3 urgent
- 3 need a gas license
- Sean is not licensed
The sheet prints at five. Nothing on it knows that Sean cannot legally touch three of tomorrow’s seven jobs, or that sending him north and back costs 45 minutes each way — so both get found out tomorrow, on the day, with a customer waiting.
Try it — assign all seven, then try to put the boiler job on Sean and watch what happens.
You’re looking at the better way — a working prototype. Tap around; it really works.
Fenwick Heating · day sheet
Tue 12 — 7 jobs
| Customer | Job | Who | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halloran1412 Delancey St | Boiler not firinggas | North | 1h 30m | |
| Pryce830 Woodgate Ave | Radiator cold at top | North | 45m | |
| Iwu88 Carling St | Annual tune-upgas | Central | 1h | |
| Bramall2 Kiln Ct | Leak under sink | Central | 40m | |
| Okonjo51 Farrier Ln | Thermostat replacement | South | 35m | |
| Vance705 Tolbury Dr | New radiator, rough-in | South | 2h | |
| Dunn2914 Spellow Rd | No hot watergas | North | 1h 15m |
Write whoever you like in the last column. Nothing adds up, travel between areas isn’t counted, and paper won’t tell you Sean isn’t licensed for gas.
Assigned
0/7
Driving
0m
nothing placed yet
Past shift end
0m
Not licensed
0
Not assigned7
Pull one down to dragTap a job, then an engineer
Press Space to pick up, left and right arrows to choose, Space to drop, Escape to cancel.
Tap a job, then tap the row it should go to — or pull it down onto them. With a keyboard, focus a job and press space. The hatched blocks are driving, counted from each engineer’s base. The red line is the end of their shift.
The same job, both ways
5 steps instead of 8.
On the sheet
8steps
- 2h 40m driving
- 1 illegal
- 0m over
On the board
5steps
- best day: 0m driving
- 0 illegal
- 0m over
- Print tomorrow’s jobs
- Write initials next to each one
- Guess who is nearest
- Hand it out at the depot
- Van leaves
- Find out at 4pm that Sean cannot do the gas jobWhere it breaks
- Phone the customer back
- Rebook, and lose the slot
- Jobs arrive on the board
- Drag each onto an engineer
- The gas job is refused, with the reasonThe difference
- Travel and shift load update as you go
- Sent to the van
What it changes
vs sheet order−2h 40m
of driving the board can take out of the same seven jobs — with nobody on a gas job they cannot legally do
The sheet sends vans across town for 2h 40m and puts 1 job on an engineer who cannot legally do it. The board’s best day keeps everyone in their own area. Build yours above and these figures become yours.
- Driving between jobs
- 2h 40m0m
- Jobs sent outside the engineer’s own area
- 40
- Jobs on an engineer who cannot legally do them
- 10
- Spare shift time left for an urgent call-out
- 11h 5m13h 45m
sheet ordercompared withbest day the board finds
Same seven jobs. The board counts the travel, knows how long a shift is, and will not let a gas job land on an engineer who isn't registered.
This one took an afternoon. The version your staff use on a Tuesday takes longer — that is the half worth paying for.
Run a heating, plumbing or electrical business? Tell me which part of this looked like your week and I’ll tell you what a real one involves.
Tell me about your weekReply within one business day. No pitch deck, no sequence.
Design studio: What actually needs answering
Northbank Studio · 1 designer
Tuesday, first coffee
- 12 unread
- 6 from clients
- 2 newsletters
- 1 ends a retainer
One of these is a client cancelling their retainer. It is calm, polite, has no deadline and uses none of the words that catch the eye — so sorted by arrival it sits below a newsletter about fonts, and gets read on Thursday.
Try it — open Daniel Okafor's message and see what the system refuses to do with it.
You’re looking at the better way — a working prototype. Tap around; it really works.
Northbank Studio · inbox
12 unread
Will AmariWebsite is down??12m
Getting an error page. Is this your end or ours?
Priya RamanRe: invoice 2214 — still not showing22m
Our finance team says they have no record of this. Can you resend with the PO number on it? We can’t pay it otherwise.
Aoife BrennanCan you take on a rebrand in March?1h
We’ve been passed your name twice now. Rough scope is identity plus a one-page site, budget is real but not huge. Do you have March capacity?
Tomas LindqvistQuick one — can we swap the hero image?2h
The one with the red packaging. Marketing prefers the blue. No rush.
AccountsStatement — 30 days3h
Attached is your statement. $340 outstanding, due in 30 days.
MarketingThe 12 fonts everyone is using this year4h
Plus: our favorite portfolio sites of the month.
Rob EllisFont license for the report template5h
Do we need a separate license if we use the template for client-facing documents? Legal is asking.
Sana IqbalFollowing up — no reply to my last two6h
Sent this twice now. We need the final assets to go to print on Friday and I’m getting nervous.
EventsEarly bird closes tonight8h
Last chance for 30% off delegate passes.
Daniel OkaforEnding our retainer9h
After the board review we’ve decided to bring the work in house from the end of next quarter. I’d rather talk it through than do this over email — are you around Thursday?
Helen VossCoffee?10h
In your part of town next week. Would be good to catch up properly.
SupportYour subscription renews in 7 days11h
Your annual plan renews on the 19th. No action needed.
Newest first, every line the same weight. The one that ends a retainer looks exactly like the one about fonts.
1 needs you, not a draftThis ends a retainer and asks for a conversation. A drafted reply could commit you to terms, or read as indifference at the worst possible moment. Flagged for you, unanswered.
Read all 12:8 drafts ready1 for you3 no reply
Ranked by what the message says, not when it arrived. Every reply is yours to edit or throw away before it goes.
The same job, both ways
5 steps either way — it is how they end that differs.
In the inbox
5steps
- the retainer message at position 10 of 12
In the queue
5steps
- the retainer message at position 4
- 0 handled
- Twelve arrive, newest first
- Read down from the top
- Answer whatever is easiest
- The retainer cancellation is three from the bottomWhere it breaks
- Find it days later
- Ranked by what each one says
- The reason for every position, in words
- Routine replies drafted for you
- One refused, flagged, and left for a personThe difference
- You approve or throw away
What it changes
vs newest first#4
The message that ends a retainer, ranked by what it says. Sorted by arrival it is #10 of 12.
By time, the retainer cancellation is #10 of 12 — below the newsletters. By what it says, it is #4. That reordering is the entire product — and the one it refuses to answer is why you would trust the other eleven.
- Messages you read before reaching the retainer
- 104
- Replies written for you
- 08
- Replies you write from a blank page
- 91
- Flagged as needing a person, not a draft
- 01
newest firstcompared withranked by content
Same twelve messages. One of them ends a retainer, and the inbox has no way to say so.
This one took an afternoon. The version your staff use on a Tuesday takes longer — that is the half worth paying for.
Running a studio or agency where the inbox is the bottleneck? Tell me which part of this looked like your week and I’ll tell you what a real one involves.
Tell me about your weekReply within one business day. No pitch deck, no sequence.
Dental practice: The gaps nobody fills
Marlow Dental · 2 chairs
Tuesday, 9:40am
- 10 appointments
- 2 cancellations
- 2h 45m of empty chair
- 6 people waiting
Both cancellations came in this morning and there are six people on the waiting list who would take them. Nothing joins those two lists together except somebody finding a spare half hour to call around, which on a Tuesday nobody has.
Try it — offer the 10:00 cancellation and see who is actually eligible for it.
You’re looking at the better way — a working prototype. Tap around; it really works.
Marlow Dental · Tuesday
2h 45m unfilled
Diary
- 9:00 AMM. AdeyemiCheck-up
- 9:30 AMR. WhitlockCheck-up
- 10:00 AMcanceled — 1h
- 11:00 AMJ. CastellanHygienist
- 11:30 AMfree — 30m
- 12:00 PMP. NwosuFilling
- 2:00 PMcanceled — 45m
- 2:45 PML. FairbairnCheck-up
- 3:15 PMfree — 30m
- 3:45 PMD. OkoroCrown fit
To ring
- H. BarrowmanCrown prep · needs 1h · waiting 26d
- S. PetrakisFilling · needs 45m · waiting 19d
- A. LindgrenHygienist · needs 30m · waiting 31d
- T. MbekiCheck-up · needs 30m · waiting 12d
- G. HalvorsenRoot canal · needs 1h 30m · waiting 40d
- N. FarrowCheck-up · needs 30m · waiting 8d
The gaps are on the left and the people who would take them are on the right. Nothing joins the two up except someone finding a spare half hour to call around.
Chair booked
56%
Open time
2h 45m
4 gaps
Waiting list
6
want in sooner
Booked today
0
from the list
- 9:00AMM. AdeyemiCheck-up · 30m
- 9:30AMR. WhitlockCheck-up · 30m
- 10:00AMCanceled · 1h5 on the list fit this
- 11:00AMJ. CastellanHygienist · 30m
- 11:30AMFree · 30m3 on the list fit this
- 12:00PMP. NwosuFilling · 30m
- 1h 30m not in the book2:00PMCanceled · 45m4 on the list fit this
- 2:45PML. FairbairnCheck-up · 30m
- 3:15PMFree · 30m3 on the list fit this
- 3:45PMD. OkoroCrown fit · 1h
Pick a gap and it offers only the people who actually fit it — long enough, free at that time, able to come at short notice — longest waiting first.
The same job, both ways
4 steps instead of 5.
In the book
5steps
- 2h 45m of empty chair
- 4 gaps
On the schedule
4steps
- every gap offered: 2h 45m recovered
- 4 seen sooner
- Someone cancels
- Cross them out of the diary
- Mean to ring round the waiting list
- Never get to it — the day is already busyWhere it breaks
- The chair sits empty
- The cancellation shows as a gap, with its length
- Ask who fits it
- Only people who actually fit are offered — with whyThe difference
- One tap books them
What it changes
vs the day as it arrived2h 45m
of empty chair the waiting list can fill today — 4 people who fit, offered in one tap each
Those are what offering every gap would do. Offer one above and the figures become your bookings instead.
- Chair time nobody is paying for
- 2h 45m0m
- Gaps still open
- 40
- People seen sooner
- 04
- Phone calls to find them
- up to 60
the day as it arrivedcompared withevery gap offered
Same day, same waiting list. The difference is whether anything joins the two together while there is still time to call someone.
This one took an afternoon. The version your staff use on a Tuesday takes longer — that is the half worth paying for.
Run a practice that loses appointments to cancellations? Tell me which part of this looked like your week and I’ll tell you what a real one involves.
Tell me about your weekReply within one business day. No pitch deck, no sequence.
Salon: I’ll have to check and call you back
Ash & Oak · 3 stylists
Thursday, mid-afternoon
- 1 enquiry
- 7 services
- 2 colorists
- prices on the wall
She asked three questions — how much, how long, and when can you fit me in. The price list answers one. The honest reply is “let me check and call you back”, and a good share of those calls back never happen.
Try it — let it read her message, then watch what it refuses to decide.
You’re looking at the better way — a working prototype. Tap around; it really works.
Ash & Oak · price list
Updated March
- Consultation & wash$12
- Cut & finish$48
- Full colorspecialist$86
- Balayagespecialist$132
- Toner / glossspecialist$34
- Bond treatment$26
- Blow dry$28
Stylists
Rae (color) · Mo · Xan (color)
Today’s enquiry
Hi — after something a bit lighter for summer, roots are growing out and the ends are pretty fried. Not sure what that needs. Free most afternoons?
“Let me check with the stylists and call you back.”
Every price here is right. It just cannot tell you how long the whole thing takes, who is trained for it, or when they are next free — which is what the client actually asked.
New enquiryby text, in the client’s own words
Hi — after something a bit lighter for summer, roots are growing out and the ends are pretty fried. Not sure what that needs. Free most afternoons?
Services
Tap what they need — or let it read the message first.
Price, time, who is trained for it and when they are free — all from the same taps, while the client is still on the phone.
The same job, both ways
5 steps either way — it is how they end that differs.
Off the wall
5steps
- 1 of 3 questions answered
- on a call back
On the quote
5steps
- after reading her message: 3 of 3 answered
- 2 stylists today
- The phone rings
- Read the price off the list
- “Let me check with the stylists and call you back”Where it breaks
- Ring back an hour later
- They booked somewhere else
- Tap what they need
- Price and time in the chair build as you go
- Only stylists trained for it are offered
- The first slot today that actually fitsThe difference
- Booked before they hang up
What it changes
vs the price list3 of 3
questions answered on the call, against the 1 of 3 the price list can manage
The list answers the price and nothing else. Read her message and the quote comes back as $158, 2h 35m, with a colorist free at 12:30 PM — the two answers that decide whether she books. Try it above.
- Of the three things they asked, answered on the call
- 1 of 33 of 3
- When they get the number
- a call backnow
- Stylists who can actually do this set
- unknown2
- First time today it fits
- unknown12:30 PM
the price listcompared withafter reading her message
Same prices either way. The difference is being able to answer while they are still on the phone.
This one took an afternoon. The version your staff use on a Tuesday takes longer — that is the half worth paying for.
Run a salon, clinic or shop that quotes over the phone? Tell me which part of this looked like your week and I’ll tell you what a real one involves.
Tell me about your weekReply within one business day. No pitch deck, no sequence.
From idea to reality
How I prototype.
Fast enough to argue with on Tuesday, grounded enough that the rules in it are the rules of your trade.
- 01
Find what is actually true
The printed sheet, the inbox, the paper diary, the laminated price list — the real week, before any screen. Most wasted work is a confident answer to a problem described wrong.
- 02
Build the rules in
A gas job cannot land on an unlicensed engineer. A 90-minute treatment cannot go in a 60-minute gap. The system knows its trade, because that is the part that takes the time.
- 03
Put it in front of you
Something you can drive, measured against the way it works today — then the version your staff use on a Tuesday, which is the half worth paying for.
The other demo
And this page is the other demo
The four things above are not screenshots or videos. They are four working applications, running in your browser, on the same page, at the same time — and you can drive all of them.
If a page that sells one person’s time can carry four working products, the question is not whether the thing you want can be built. It is what it is worth building.
Four apps, four interaction models
Spatial drag with live recalculation, a review queue, a scheduling grid, and multi-select that reprices as you tap. Not one demo wearing four hats.
No libraries doing the hard part
The fling physics, the drag-and-drop, the scroll-driven motion on this page — hand-written. The spring integrator is sixty lines of code when you own it.
Every rule is real
A gas job cannot land on an unlicensed engineer. A 90-minute treatment cannot go in a 60-minute gap. The systems know their trade, because that is the part that takes the time.
It still reads with JavaScript off
Every exhibit renders server-side, so the whole page is there without a line of JS running. Dragging needs it; reading does not. Also true at 320px, with reduced motion, and on a five-year-old phone.
Have a workflow like this?
Let’s make yours real.
A prototype takes an afternoon. Finishing something — shipping it, maintaining it, keeping it live through store reviews and policy changes for years — is the expensive half, and it is the half worth hiring for.
Reply within one business day. No pitch deck, no sequence.