The Challenge
When workspace provider Knotel approached us, they had a classic product-market fit problem—they'd built a great platform for their internal sales team but were missing a critical user in their ecosystem: real estate brokers. Despite brokers influencing 80% of commercial leasing decisions, they had no dedicated tools to efficiently access and sell Knotel's spaces.
The Research Question
How can we support the workflow of commercial real estate brokers to increase customer engagement and Knotel sales?
This wasn't just about building a new feature—it required deep understanding of an entirely different user group with unique needs and behaviors.
Our Insight-Driven Approach
We designed a research plan combining quantitative and qualitative methods to uncover the true needs behind broker behavior:
Digital ethnographies capturing real-time workflow patterns
In-person ride-alongs with 5 NYC brokers during client meetings
30 in-depth interviews across multiple markets
Journey mapping to identify pain points and opportunity gaps
Feature card sorting to prioritize product capabilities
Usability testing with early prototypes
Key Consumer Insights
The research revealed four breakthrough insights that completely reframed the product strategy:
Brokers valued pipeline visibility above all else—access to properties not yet on the market was their most valued currency with clients
Downloadable assets were critical—brokers weren't just looking for listings; they needed high-quality assets to create their own client presentations
Saved searches as value exchange—brokers would share client requirements through search patterns without revealing client identities
Branding flexibility mattered—brokers needed control over how properties were presented to their clients
From Insights to Product
These insights directly shaped our product development strategy:
Self-service portal giving brokers control instead of requiring account executive intermediaries
Asset library making floor plans, photos, and specs instantly downloadable
Exclusive listing access providing visibility to off-market properties
Custom notification system alerting brokers to new properties matching their clients' needs
Rapid Prototyping & Iteration
We built high-fidelity prototypes in Figma and conducted usability testing before development. After engineering built the MVP, we:
Launched a limited beta with research participants
Used FullStory to identify UX friction points
A/B tested email messaging to optimize onboarding
Continuously refined features based on user behavior
Measurable Product-Market Fit
The results demonstrated clear product-market fit:
1,550 new broker users in the first week after launch
213 daily page views with 15% week-over-week growth
33% asset download rate from property detail pages
11% homepage conversion to asset downloads
Most valuable was the unexpected data product that emerged—broker search patterns created a predictive market intelligence tool for Knotel's acquisition team.
The Product Impact Lesson
Knotel's success illustrates a critical product development principle: sometimes the most impactful product isn't for your end customer, but for the influencers in your value chain.
By focusing on broker workflows rather than just end clients, we helped Knotel create a product that generated both immediate sales acceleration and long-term strategic intelligence.
