Mpowered Podcast – How Is Technology Use In The Design Process Shifting?

How Is Technology Use In The Design Process Shifting?

Mpowered Podcast, Episode 22 Show Notes

Welcome to Mpowered, the podcast brought to you by Material Bank and created by ThinkLab.

In this bite-sized episode, we tackle the question “how is technology shifting design?”  

As part of the Interior Design Giants of Design research, we survey the largest firms in the country in addition to holding roundtable discussions year-round. Host Erica Waayenberg, head of research and content at ThinkLab, explores what THEY have to say about how technology is shifting in their practice. 

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If you have a question or topic you’d like us to tackle on air, we’d love to hear from you. Simply direct-message Material Bank on Instagram with your success story or question through the messaging function.

Transcript

Welcome to Mpowered, the podcast brought to you by Material Bank and created by ThinkLab. Consider this your new weekly dose of bite-sized, actionable insights to help you succeed as a B2B rep. I’m this week’s host, Erica Waayenberg, head of research and content at ThinkLab.  

We’ll be answering one key question each week, many of them submitted by you. Want to join in? We’ll share details about how to submit your question at the end of this episode.  

Our question this week: how is technology use in the design process shifting?

At ThinkLab, we are constantly using a variety of research methodologies to keep our fingers on the pulse of what is coming next in the design industry. As part of the Interior Design Giants of Design research, we survey the largest firms in the country in addition to holding roundtable discussions year-round. Let’s explore what THEY have to say about how technology is shifting in their practice:

Let’s start with one technology advancement that has created efficiency that have the potential to save hours of billable time from a task that can now be automated. Here is how one firm describes that shift:

“With the transformation from 2D to 3D BIM, building materials and systems are now combined into a common virtual model. This will eventually eliminate the need for {physical} construction documents in bidding since the model will contain all necessary information.”

But these efficiencies and automated processes rely on brands providing building information models. As you partner with architectural and design firms and follow up on project opportunities, drop a link to your BIM library to bake your product right into that finalized set of construction documents.

And the advancements in technology go far beyond just capturing the information needed to take a design from digital concept to a completed jobsite. Here is how one Giant of Design describes how technology is touching every phase and interaction in design firms today:

“We believe that techno centrism is here to stay in terms of how we design, present, and how clients use spaces. We are heavily invested in modeling and incorporating augmented reality earlier in the process to gain client buy-in and excitement. This also allows for greater understanding of the design direction earlier in the process, and can help eliminate change orders and miscommunication in the design. We can use augmented reality on site to visualize changes in design direction, whether this be for interior renovations, or for site development. This technology allows for less of a snapshot approach, and more of an immersive experience that allows the client to understand the proposed space and design.”

So, what tech tools are they using most commonly and why should you care? When it comes to the tech tool depends on the task:

When ideating and collaborating, Miro, Mural, and other cloud-based platforms are well suited to the process.

Or when teams are actively designing, Revit, CAD, Formit, Rhino, Sketchup, and a variety of rendering plugins for those platforms are the tools of choice.    

When it comes to presenting to their clients, the practical nature of AR seems to be taking hold in our industry with VR being used on larger scale opportunities where design teams want to ensure they have full sign off to avoid any changes once under construction.

And for why you should care, as a rep, you can position yourself well to be a contributor to the design process by staying abreast of the tech platforms your clients are using and offering to contribute in those same places. As an example, perhaps they have a concept board in Mural, you could ask for an invite to a duplicate board so that you can share product ideas that may work well with their set direction. Or sharing some inspiration with your clients by curating Material Bank pallets with your latest product launches as a precursor to an in firm presentation.

Regardless of the platform or software itself, keeping up on the latest tools being used which is why you are here listening to this podcast will create a more seamless design-communication experience, and any place you can reduce file conversions, or copying and pasting of information from one digital space to another, will save time for the designer and make you the person to call on their next opportunity.

Thanks for listening in, I encourage you to listen and each week for more tips and tidbits to help you succeed as a B2B rep.

Have a question or topic you would like for us to tackle on air? We would love to hear from you! Simply drop us a note with your success story or question through the messaging feature on Instagram or by leaving us a comment on LinkedIn.

I’d like to take a moment to thank you for listening in and invite you to listen in each week for more tips and tidbits to empower you as a rep.