How we partnered with Winware.ai (and you) to build OfficeSpace Assets

What happens when you combine real-world feedback, AI-powered research, and rapid product development? You get a workplace tool that’s actually built for the people who use it every day.

At OfficeSpace, our new enterprise asset management tool wasn’t dreamed up in a vacuum. It was built in public—with real facilities managers, IT leads, and operations teams guiding every iteration. If you’ve ever been frustrated by spreadsheets, clunky legacy tools, or asset systems that weren’t built with your reality in mind… this one’s for you.

Get the behind-the-scenes of how we built the product, what we learned from real users (like you), and why this approach is changing the way workplace software gets made.

Watch the full conversation below featuring Andres Avalos, OfficeSpace Software’s Chief Product Officer; Steven Cohn, founder and CEO at Winware.ai; and Craig Paris, founding Chief Revenue Officer at Winware.ai.

Why we built it this way

“Because of Winware, we were able to get very quick insights… and start making modifications to the user experience almost immediately.” — Andres Avalos, Chief Product Officer, OfficeSpace  

Most software companies build first and ask questions later. We flipped that model on its head.

With the help of our partner Winware, we launched an AI-powered research sprint to ask 100+ facilities and IT professionals what actually matters in asset management. That included:

• What tools you’re currently using (and what frustrates you)
• Where you’re stuck managing assets manually
• What would make your life easier, faster, more accurate
• How you want to work, not just how systems force you to
  

That feedback came in fast. And thanks to Winware, we were able to gather data and synthesize it in real time to drive weekly product changes.

Key insight: Bad UX is blocking asset management success

“An interesting thing that came out of the research very fast from facilities managers was that there are so many manual processes… and one of the biggest blockers was just the user experience. Whether that’s Excel they were using, or an incumbent or legacy asset management tool, the UX is very important, because that helps foster adoption.”— Andres Avalos 

Whether it’s Excel or an outdated legacy system, too many teams are stuck using tools that were never really made for them. Our research confirmed:

• Clunky UX = poor adoption
• Poor adoption = messy or missing data
• Messy data = assets that are impossible to track, plan, or maintain
  

That’s why our new tool is built to be easy to use, even for teams who haven’t used modern asset tools before.

From feedback to features—in days, not months

“Usually this kind of discovery takes a quarter or more. We did it in a few weeks—thanks to Winware and our early access participants.” — Andres Avalos  

With weekly early access testing, every feature was pressure-tested in real workplace environments. Two of our engineers—JF Turcot and Ly Dang—shipped new functionality week over week based on what our clients told us.

Some examples of things we were able to build fast, because you asked for them:

• Simple visual dashboards to track assets by location, team, or type
• Bulk import tools for clean data transfer from Excel or legacy systems
• Role-based views so facilities and IT teams only see what matters to them
• Automated lifecycle alerts to prevent downtime or lost equipment
  

AI with purpose: Starting with the end in mind

“We know that teams are under pressure from the top down to implement AI tools to build fast. With AI you can, but you better make sure it’s the right bets.  OfficeSpace started with the end in mind: What do we want to uncover about our customers’ pain points? How can we help solve them?  — Craig Paris, CRO, Winware 

In today’s AI-saturated world, speed is easy. Direction is harder.

At OfficeSpace, we used AI to move faster, but most importantly, more strategically. From the very beginning. Our goal was to build something that facilities and IT teams would actually want to use, because it solved real problems they face every day.

We partnered with Winware to run a research sprint that asked the right questions, to the right people. That meant:

• IT managers who manage device fleets and procurement workflows
• Facilities professionals who walk the floor and track physical assets
• Operations leads who need a bird’s-eye view of asset performance
• Finance stakeholders who care about cost control and compliance
  

“At the core of that is really getting down to listening to our customers and prospects… the methods we use to gather that information is extremely important.” —Andres Avalos 

From there, Winware’s AI layers amplified our learning:

• AI interviewers dynamically followed up with survey respondents, digging deeper based on the specificity of their answers
• AI synthesis tools surfaced patterns across 100+ interviews 
• Prompt-to-insight tools let us ask focused queries like:
  “What’s the #1 reason asset managers switch tools?”
  or “What feature is most important to facilities teams during onboarding?”
  

This gave our teams and early access clients a shared, validated understanding of what mattered most. That meant we could start designing the right features from day one, rather than guessing and iterating months later.

By combining structured listening with generative and agentic AI, we were accelerating alignment between what we build and what you actually need.

What’s in it for you?

“Early research and early feedback is extremely important. Every early access participant’s piece of feedback makes its way, not just into a roadmap, but quite literally, the next iteration of the actual product.” —Andres Avalos

If you’re a facilities or IT manager, here’s what this means:

• You don’t have to wait a year for your feedback to get acted on
• You can be part of the process through our early access programs
• You get tools that reflect your day-to-day—not just what vendors think you need
  

And because we’re building in public, you’ll always know what’s coming next—and you’ll have a voice in shaping it.

TL;DR: We built OfficeSpace Assets for you, and with you

This is our new way of building workplace software: fast, transparent, and focused on the people doing the work.

If you’re tired of waiting for better tools… we’re here to tell you: they’re ready now.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube

Join workplace teams who are ditching outdated spreadsheets and legacy tools. Get a personalized demo of our enterprise asset management solution.