About Useful Machines
Better ways of working, made possible by AI.
Useful Machines is a Melbourne-based AI studio helping businesses and organisations improve how they work.
We work with professional services firms, not-for-profits and other organisations to identify frustrating, time-consuming or outdated processes, then design and build practical solutions using AI and modern software tools.
That might mean replacing a spreadsheet that's become too complicated, connecting information scattered across different systems, simplifying an internal workflow or building a small application that makes an everyday job easier.
We believe good technology should make work simpler, not introduce a whole new set of problems.
Start with the problem, not the technology
There's no shortage of excitement about what AI can do. But knowing what's possible and knowing what's useful for your organisation are two different things.
We start by understanding how your business works, where things get stuck and what a better outcome would look like.
Sometimes the answer involves AI. Sometimes it's a straightforward piece of software, a better process or making more effective use of tools you already have.
We're interested in what works, not how much technology we can squeeze into a solution.
Our approach is practical:
- Understand the problem. Look at the current process, the people involved and what needs to improve.
- Work out what's worth solving. Identify opportunities where a better solution could make a meaningful difference.
- Build something useful. Start with the simplest solution that can do the job.
- Learn and improve. Test it in the real world, see what works and make adjustments.
The aim is to make improvements that are achievable, affordable and genuinely useful to the people doing the work.
Powered by The Product Bus
Useful Machines is part of The Product Bus family, bringing an established product strategy and problem-solving approach to the opportunities created by AI.
At The Product Bus, we've spent years helping founders, businesses and organisations understand problems, test ideas and make better decisions about what to build.
Useful Machines applies that same thinking to improving business operations.
What's changed is what we can now deliver. AI and modern development tools have made it possible to create useful software, automate processes and connect existing systems much faster and more affordably than was previously practical.
Work that once required a substantial software project can sometimes be solved with a relatively simple, purpose-built tool.
Useful Machines exists to help organisations take advantage of those opportunities without unnecessary complexity, expense or disruption.
Different audience, different services, same practical approach.
The people behind the approach
Scotty Allen
Founder, The Product Bus
Scotty is a product strategist with extensive experience helping organisations turn business problems into practical solutions.
As founder of The Product Bus, he's worked with startups, growing businesses, universities and innovation organisations to understand customer needs, evaluate opportunities and develop products and services that deliver real value.
His background includes education, technology and product leadership, with a particular focus on helping people make better decisions about where to invest their time and money.
Through his work with Useful Machines, Scotty brings that product mindset to the challenges facing established organisations. His focus is on understanding how a business operates, identifying where technology can make a meaningful difference and ensuring that what gets built actually solves the problem.
He believes the best solutions aren't necessarily the most sophisticated. They're the ones people can use, that solve a real problem and that make commercial sense.
Let's find a better way
You don't need to arrive with a technical specification or even know whether AI is the answer.
If there's a process in your organisation that's taking too much time, creating unnecessary work or holding your team back, we'd be happy to explore what's possible.