What do Artificial Intelligence and a chair have in common? More than one might think, if the goal is to optimize a process.
When people talk about AI, many start with technology: models, automations, agents, integrations.
Before technology, however, we believe we should start from a “simpler” question: how does the process we want to improve actually work?
To understand this, we think the best way is to sit next to people, listen, observe, ask questions, and take notes.
We chose to put the word “simpler” in quotation marks because, although business processes often appear linear on paper, reality is very different. When you sit down and listen to the people who experience that work every day, a world of unwritten practices and nuances shaped by experience begins to emerge: an unspoken layer that adds invisible but essential complexity.
A few anecdotes
When proposals all seem the same
During a conversation with a large software development company, with around 600 employees, we were asked a very direct question:
We meet companies like yours every day. We receive proposals from all over Italy. Why should we work with you?
It is an understandable question, especially in a market where many proposals end up sounding similar: AI, automations, agents, integrations, dashboards.
Our answer was simple: because before proposing a solution, we try to sit next to people, map processes, and understand real needs.
The person we were speaking with was caught off guard, and that moment marked the beginning of our collaboration.
When even taking notes becomes part of the method
A similar episode happened with a large cooperative we have been working with for some time.
After several co-design meetings on tools to optimize internal processes, they shared this feedback with us:
We wanted to tell you something: we notice it. When you work with us, you take notes. It is something we notice and appreciate.
That feedback struck us because it captures the meaning of the “chair” very well.
Conclusion
When designing solutions with clients, we have seen that the most effective path is to follow a process: start with people, understand how they really work, map activities and pain points, and only then choose the most suitable technology.
For those who want to introduce AI into a company, this step is essential: it helps focus on real problems, avoid unnecessary automations, and build tools that people can actually adopt.
The chair represents this: starting with people before technology.