Category: Business

New iPads are the best ever!

On Tuesday, Apple held its latest Release Event, which was all about the iPad.

We’ve always championed the iPad as the optimal platform for Codesign, and with the latest releases, the possibilities have expanded exponentially, sparking a new wave of excitement and intrigue.

While the M4-based ultra-slim (only 5.1mm!!) iPad Pro 13-inch stole the show for performance, display, and size, we were extremely pleased to see the new range of iPad Airs.

Yes, the fresh new Air now has a range with the release of an 11-inch and a new 13-inch version.

The new iPad Airs not only introduce a fresh size variant, but also boast the powerful M2 Apple Silicon, a feature that has already proven its mettle in the previous generation of iPad Pros, leaving us all impressed and eager to delve deeper into its capabilities.

From our point of view, these new Airs represent fantastic value for money and have both the screen size and performance to power Codesign perfectly.

In addition to the iPads, a new Pencil—the Apple Pencil Pro—was released, and we can’t wait to investigate what we can do with it!

Brand transition complete – Codesign available now!

Today the transition from Spaces to Codesign was completed with the launch of the new Codesign App – available for immediate download now.

Checkout the full press release on the Codesign blog.

Unveiling the Future: Introducing the New Codesign App for Architects

Revolutionizing Design with Our Latest Innovation

In our quest to continuously push the boundaries of architectural design and technology, I am excited to unveil our latest innovation: the Codesign App, the first specialist concept design application crafted specifically for architects. This tool is not just a product of our imagination but a response to the real needs and challenges faced by architects today.

Born from a Vision

The genesis of the Codesign App was driven by a simple observation: architects need more intuitive, efficient tools that seamlessly integrate into the early stages of design. The conceptual phase is critical—it’s where ideas blossom and take shape. Yet, it’s often bogged down by cumbersome processes and tools that aren’t tailored for creative exploration.

With that challenge in mind, we set out to create something different, something that feels less like a tool and more like a partner in design.

A Tool Like No Other

The Codesign App stands apart for several reasons. It’s designed specifically for architects, with an interface that is both intuitive and powerful, stripping away unnecessary complexities and focusing on enhancing creativity.

A Step Towards a Brighter Future

Today’s launch of the Codesign App marks a significant milestone in our journey at Codesign. It represents our commitment to innovation and our dedication to supporting the architectural community in creating more magnificent, sustainable, and efficient designs.

Get Involved

Your role is crucial in this journey. I invite each of you to experience the Codesign App firsthand. Explore its features, test its capabilities, and let us know how it enhances your design process. Your feedback will be instrumental in refining and evolving the app further.

Thank You for Being Part of Our Journey

Launching this app wouldn’t have been possible without your invaluable support and belief in our vision. As we move forward, I am eager to see how the Codesign App will empower architects around the globe, helping bring your incredible visions to life with ease and precision.

Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey. Together, let’s shape the future of architectural design.

Jump over to https://www.getcodesign.co to get started today

Seed Series Raise for Spaces

A couple of days ago, I was immensely proud to announce Shadow Ventures as the Cerulean Labs Seed Round lead.

This process started before my previous post, when I first pitched Matt at Shadow in May 2022. At the time, I wasn’t too sure how it had been received, but I was delighted to hear back from Matt and arrange another pitch with KP Reddy, the founder of Shadow Ventures.

But let’s back up the truck a little—why Shadow Ventures? As we started looking to raise our Seed round, I was focused on finding a VC that understood the AEC Market. This was critical in my mind in order for them to have a deep understanding of the market we operated in. It escapes me exactly how I found Shadow Ventures, but somehow, I landed on their website, and everything I read clicked with me.

Since May, we have diligently worked through the traditional process of receiving a Term Sheet and then set about making it happen, ensuring a thorough and confident decision-making process.

This was a little less straightforward as Cerulean Labs is a New Zealand-based company with a few handfuls of New Zealand Investors (Friends, Family, and Angel Groups). Shadow Ventures required Cerulean Labs to incorporate in the United States, so we formed Cerulean Labs US, Inc. as the overall company, which in turn owns our New Zealand (and via NZ, our United Kingdom) operations.

While it may sound straightforward, this process, commonly called a “flip,” took much time and discussion to get over the line. We worked through challenges across tax, accounting, and legal aspects.

Having completed that part of the process, we can use Shadow’s funds and some minor (but valuable and vital) contributors to fuel our Spaces journey. 

I’ve really enjoyed the discussions to date with KP [Reddy], Matt [Ohlmam] and Nick [Durham] and look forward to many more.

Spaces – reviews

Wow! I knew I hadn’t posted here for a while, but it turned out to be longer than I thought!

Having launched Spaces last October we’ve been busy continuing to develop Spaces while also building traction in the market.

While I haven’t been posting here, I have been writing articles for our website

I’ve also worked with industry publications to help educate the market about our new Tool.

Spaces might look like a pretty simple tool, but it’s actually got a lot of hidden depth and capability, even though it only launched October 2021… it’s a tool for every architect.

Martyn Day – AEC Magazine

It has been great to read the reviews published especially since they confirm many aspects of our mission and aims with Spaces.

…delightful to find a conceptual design tool for architecture that not only runs on the iPad but is completely aligned to it in spirit and harnesses its full potential… …so that you are literally designing actual buildings on the iPad quickly and fluidly.

Lachmi Khemlani, AECbytes

While I worked closely with Lachmi and Martyn, it was a wonderful surprise to find Anthony’s article on architosh:

…the iPad is merging the nature of trace paper (infinite roll) with the sketchbook, something that fewer architects seem to carry these days but is still incredibly useful. Spaces the app is simply a new form of trace paper.

Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, architosh

Ship It!

When developing software, there is always more you can do, more features you can add, more bugs you can fix, more improvements to existing tools.

This can quickly spiral into a situation where you want to do “just one more thing..” before you release.

This is a slippery slope and one the requires discipline to avoid.

Don’t get me wrong, no one wants to release low-quality bug-filled software, but it comes down to focus and prioritisation as with everything.

There is always an endless supply of ideas when it comes to new features and improvements, but again you can fall in the trap of releasing features customers don’t want.

This is what “shipping” is a critical part of the development process. Regularly releasing software is a habit and forces you to push features out to users sometimes earlier then you want.

Shipping regularly is hard but worthwhile.

The pay-back though through the user feedback loop is a critical part of the development process. User feedback is a key input for prioritisation.

Shipping regularly forces you to bite of small pieces of functionality and gain insights – pulling you back on track where necessary and avoiding wasted effort.

Shipping is a very rewarding activity. While things aren’t always perfect – and someone crashed your app within hours of release – the great thing about regularly shipping is your ability to make the required fixes and get them out into the market quickly with the next release.

While we always strive for perfection and to be better, it is refreshing to know the next release is only a matter of weeks, not months, away, which also reduces pressure on testing.

We shipped another version yesterday – and it feels good!

Focus

In my mind focus is a key attribute unpinning success in all walks of life including from a business perspective.

Throughout my time with Cadimage there were multiple times where focus was critical.

During the GFC, we needed an intense focus on the costs of running our business and making sure every dollar was spent wisely to ensure we would come out the other side. We also needed to focus on business strategies that had a higher chance of success during a very difficult sales period.

In the development side of our business following two acquisitions (spread 8 years apart) we found ourselves with a large collection of ArchiCAD Tools. When we did the maths simply maintaining all the Tools required more time then we had available. We had to be ruthless and we also had to take actions that at least in the short term would potentially upset customers – sunsetting a number of products.

This was a painful experience and while the maths showed us which Tools had fewest users it didn’t mean it was easy for those specific users who enjoyed use of a discontinued Tool.

In order to try to avoid actions like this it is critical to learn to say no – often.

It is too easy to say yes and begin things that start spreading resources too thin. Our acquisitions brought both great products and great people, and by discontinuing some of these products the team were more able to focus on our key products which ultimately led to increased customer satisfaction. 1

Learning to say no is hard, but ultimately leads to greater focus.

Building a start-up as I am currently doing requires immense focus. I have a huge range of ideas and see great opportunities dotted throughout the architecture design process. However, we are focused at this stage on a single opportunity, and even within this opportunity we need to focus on the really big issues and plan our development carefully.

In addition running a start-up requires constant attention to costs. While we are raising capital to fund the building of our business we have a commitment to our investors to spend the money wisely. Sometimes having less money helps provide additional pressure to really focus on meaningful spending. There are many stories of over funded start-ups that utlimately fold as they didn’t have the discipline of focus as a core attribute in their business.

Footnote:

This interesting article popped into my inbox today talking exactly about the Upsides to Unshipping: The Art of Removing Features and Products

Spaces – Conceptual Design for Architects

In August 2020 following six months of research, development and prototyping I founded Cerulean Labs with the aim of reinventing conceptual design for architects. This is a lofty goal and one that will take a number of years to see come to fruition.

However, today marks a major milestone in our early journey with the release of our first public beta.

As a team we are proud of what we have created to date but equally appreciate we are only just starting to scratch the surface what we plan to develop.

Spaces combines ideas from a huge range of people and investigations that have helped shape this first beta. Now we are excited to get a broader group of users signed up and using the software so they too can help shape this tool.

Spaces fills a void in the marketplace and we are focused on making it simple and easy to use.

As previously posts have highlighted creating a new venture is a rollercoaster of emotions and a constant juggling act. We could have taken a slightly ‘easier’ road and spent a few more months developing our first version before engaging with users but creating a tool that no-one uses is not our plan and we are excited to get our app into your hands and gather feedback, both positive and negative, and work hard to deliver regular updates and enhancements over the coming months.

If you’re an architect with an iPad and Pencil Sign up now for our Early access programme

Start-up Juggling Act

However, this time instead of joining a well established and profitable business we’re starting from zero.

A brief look back

I wrote the above at the end of my 2020 review and posted it to a number of different channels.

I got great feedback and many suggested that we weren’t actually starting from zero as with over 20 years in business we all have experience and an extensive network of contacts – which is completely correct and helps provide confidence when starting out.

We first began the business in August and have been primarily focused on the development of an iPad based design app. My two co-founders and I, along with some additional part time developers have put long hours into the core of our app with a view to releasing an MVP in late November.

We missed the target date but two weeks later we had a substantial release ready for Apple Approval and subsequently for our first close group of testers. This group of testers are all part of the networks I have built up during my career and they provide a great early (and friendly) test bed for our product.

However, suddenly we were now getting feedback and while we could keep our heads down for the first five months we now had a product release and we had to start juggling a number of tasks that support a product led company. The product still wasn’t (isn’t) commercialised so while we had some new pressure we didn’t have the pressure of paying customers (though I can’t wait for that!)

And this is where my comment regarding starting from zero really came into play. All of a sudden in addition to product development we needed to start thinking about websites, social media, branding, marketing, customer support. None of these things existed, and for obvious reasons nothing we had produced in previous companies could be used directly in our new business – we had a clean sheet of paper to create a branding and marketing strategy, we had no office systems.

And so began the juggling act that virtually all start up founders go through at some point. We are running a very lean development focused business until we raise external capital and to that end my role has now seen me swapping hats on a daily basis – sometimes many times a day.

While we had nothing, again previous experience allowed me to quickly start pulling things together. I have a strength in office system implementation – I have seen how integrated systems allow business to focus on their core activities – so over the last month I have implemented the core of our commercial-side business systems that are all integrated and will allow us to scale over time (you have to love cloud applications):

  • Hubspot – CRM & Marketing (Advertising, Email, Social Media, Lead Capture)
  • Zendesk – Customer Support and Knowledge base
  • Webflow – Website Design

I have longterm experience with Zendesk having used them at Cadimage over 10 years ago, but the other systems were completely new to me but they all work well together.

Aside from office systems, we’ve been busy building a brand (I’ll post on that soon), added a new director to the board to help with capital raising, started a series of lean marketing activities to start broaden our testing community and begun building a social media presence.

On the development front we’ve knocked off one major product release already and have some smaller releases coming soon.

All in all its good fun, a constant juggling act of reprioritising and trying to move each piece forward in a logical order.

I knew from the outset 2021 was going to be busy, looking back (we’re almost 20% done with the year) I can already see we’ve taken some big steps forward, I can’t wait to see how the rest of the year progresses with an official beta launch and (fingers crossed) our commercial debut!

A fresh approach to development

Developing a brand new Product from scratch can be [or is] a daunting task. Especially when you have a big vision that you know is going to take significant time to develop but you need to get something to market quickly to ensure your idea has potential.

Nearly every development decision is a catch 22, where you know you can either do things the right way or the quick way but not both. You constantly need to juggle building good foundations while also delivering features that advance the product. No one likes to know they will need to rebuild things in the future but sometimes that is the trade off that needs to be made.

When you try to couple all of these requirements to a development approach there is no single perfect approach and what works for some won’t work for others.

It was therefore refreshing to read Shape Up – Stop Running in Circles and 
Ship Work that Matters by Ryan Singer

Anyone who has followed Basecamp will know that the founders are quite opinionated and always challenging the status quo. For example the following is an excerpt from the forward of the book:

For one, we’re not into waterfall or agile or scrum. For two, we don’t line walls with Post-it notes. For three, we don’t do daily stand ups, design sprints, development sprints, or anything remotely tied to a metaphor that includes being tired and worn out at the end. No backlogs, no Kanban, no velocity tracking, none of that.

Shape Up Forward by Jason Fried

The book makes some bold statements and a lot of their ideas can be challenged but overall it was very thought provoking and has a very constructive approach to product development. Based on the success of Basecamp the approach has certainly worked for them.

The approach won’t suit everyone and we for one have adapted some of their concepts and will continue to do so as we get a feel for how the process works.

One of the big things for me is that it empowers the developers and demoralises a lot of the decisions. At the same time giving them “uninterrupted time” and “longer cycles” means they have time to research, investigate and weigh the benefits of how to implement intended features. If they feel that solid foundations are required that’s up to them, but they are also clear on the deliverable expectations in ‘exchange’ for this freedom.

Time will tell how well it works for us, buts many of the concepts resonated with my personal experience and the start of a new year is a great time to try something new.

Four digital strategy tips for SMEs

I first came across Peter Thomson when he was a Brand Strategist with Brian Richards. We worked together for around 18months or so as we redeveloped the Cadimage Brand and then more Umbrella Bradning for the entire Cadimage Group.

Peter and I always had some very interesting conversations around all sorts of topics from marketing to pricing to charging for disbursements! Since initially meeting we have kept in touch and met up around the world when we could.

Since starting Cerulean Labs I have reconnected with Peter and he has provided early advice around Lean Marketing and how to get started.

Peter discussed his approach and more recently the following four tips were published along with a profile of Peter who is currently Head of Technology at the Ice House.

Start a newsletter: Email is an under-appreciated channel for building ongoing customer relationships. No matter what your industry, starting a company newsletter will give you a chance to speak more directly with your customers

Blog the journey: Share honest stories of the highs and lows so your audience can get to know your business better

Do things that don’t scale: Don’t rush to automate everything too early. Sometimes it’s worth the effort to personally provide a service to your early customers so you get to know them better

Sweat the small stuff: Details matter with product experience. Make sure you put time into touch points like user onboarding, login pages, the password reset process and your eCommerce checkout

Peter Thomson

These four points are all very useful, number four resonates especially for me as customer focus and customer experience are both critical to business success.