Woobius Eye started as just an idea, but it was one of those determined ideas that clawed its way into life. One of the reasons for this was that the more we talked about it, the more obvious the need for it became. A tool like Woobius Eye fills a gaping need within the construction industry, and since many of us at Woobius are architects, this was the first thing that we saw.

Then, we started talking to others, and a number of other possible uses emerged. Woobius Eye can be very useful any time you have a meeting, with a whiteboard, diagrams, scribbles, etc, and you need to bring in someone who’s not physically present. Another completely different use which several people brought up was accidents and emergencies. In an emergency situation, being able to communicate effectively with the control centre can probably save lives.

On a more mundane but very relevant level, given the impending government cost cutting exercises, Woobius Eye can save a lot of money to industries and government bodies that need to carry out site inspections regularly. Site inspections are very expensive, and those bodies that need to do them have been moving towards the goal of allowing people to self-certify. Woobius Eye can help that process by allowing a visual discussion to occur without needing to send the inspector on site physically.

With all these uses (and many others that we don’t have the space to mention here), why are we focusing on the construction industry first? There are two reasons. The first and less important one is that we know the construction industry very well. It’s always advisable to build on your strengths first, and then expand. Because of our deep industry knowledge, we know we can make a difference more quickly and more effectively in this space.

The second reason is that the construction industry has a deep hunger for a tool like Woobius Eye. In this industry where all the work is always split between office and site, Woobius Eye will make a real difference, very quickly. Over the last few weeks, we’ve had quotes like the following, coming from leading companies in the industry who have signed up for our beta program:

“Effective collaboration must include the building site, which is why Woobius Eye is intriguing.” - Ken Sanders, CIO of Gensler

“Woobius Eye changes the nature of on-site/office collaboration.” - Paul Wilkinson, construction collaboration guru

“A great step forward in a world where it is vital to deliver clarity in decision making.” - Ian Godwin of Godwin Consulting

“This innovative company is one to keep an eye on!” - Dave Glennon of Bovis Lend Lease

“Woobius Eye enables us to instantly to communicate in a much more effective and easy way.” - Katja Martini of Capita Symonds

And, the funniest one: “An idiot-proof collaboration tool that even my mum can use!” - Matt Parkes, Director of Architecture at Atlas

We have no intention of limiting ourselves to the construction industry. As we’ve seen, Woobius Eye can be used in many contexts. But it makes a lot of sense to start here, where there is a real need for exactly this tool.

We look forward to presenting this on Friday and seeing you all at PICNIC. Thanks for all those who voted for us.