Building Our Own Micro-Products with AI: The 12-Hour Sprint That Created Desky

Today, our CEO Alexander Dohr tells the story of how we built our own micro products to improve our very own experience in the office as part of our recent studio move.

We recently moved into a brand-new office that embraces the hybrid model, and naturally, we faced a crunch: fewer desks than people. We were about to go from “too much space” to “no desks available” and one thing we definitely wanted to avoid was the question of “Should I even come in today if I can’t find a spot?”.

So the search for a solution began. Rather than slog through a legacy booking platform, we decided to tackle the problem head-on and build something tailored to our needs. That’s how Desky was born: a rapid-prototype solution that we created in just two days to manage our limited desks without creating more headaches.

Let’s face it - no one wants another subscription: so we tried a few off-the-shelf options, but they felt either overkill or just too bad and ugly to be useful. Our goal was straightforward: give people a quick, pain-free way to see if a desk is available, reserve it, and confirm. We also realized hybrid work isn’t static—some days, more folks come in; other days, the office is practically empty. Any system we built had to handle that ebb and flow without demanding hours of setup or daily maintenance.

Using V0 by our partners at Vercel , we sketched out a core flow using AI, so anyone could log in, pick a desk, and finalize the booking with minimal fuss. Of course what V0 delivered needed some love and expertise from our Designers and Engineers (thanks Roy Castrillo Jan Demmerle ) but it gave us a head start on structure and setup.

Then we integrated the LLM Claude via API for natural language booking straight through Slack. One Slack message—“Book me a desk for Wednesday”—and you’re set. The best part was the continuous feedback from our own team. Every time someone tried it and ran into a hiccup, we’d fix it on the spot. This loop of build-test-improve was what made Desky’s two-day turnaround not just possible but actually fun. Because you know, it’s fun to build and fix things.

Now, when we walk into the office, people know which desk is theirs that day, and everything updates in real time. Looking ahead, we’re excited to expand its capabilities—maybe automatically suggesting optimal desks near teammates, or integrating a challenge mode where you can, you know, challenge someone to hand over their table to you. Ultimately, the key is to build with our teams, who have to use Desky every day.

Now you may wonder why you just spent a minute reading about our desk booking struggles - the larger truth here is this: We’re convinced that rapid, focused prototyping is the best way to solve real-world challenges, rather than waiting on bulky software that tries to do everything and ends up helping no one. Let’s design and build products more micro products that are efficient, tailored and loved by users because they solve a specific and pointed problem.

If you’re on a similar journey, let’s compare notes. After all, the whole point of technology should be to make life a little smoother—and maybe even fun—in the process.

What are your thoughts on technology, design and AI? Share your thoughts in the comments or drop us an email at [email protected]. Excited to continue the dialogue! Stay tuned for our next newsletters by hitting that subscribe button! ??