May the best design management software win
This article was posted on MAY 21, 2019 on Businessofhome.com
The design industry has a new arms race: project management software. To the outside world, it’s record-keeping with all the sex appeal of the tax code. But for design professionals, it’s the administrative lifeblood of any operation that’s graduated from Excel and earnest prayer.
Everyone agrees that project management software is indispensable, but designers say the offerings come with trade-offs like byzantine navigation, tedious manual entry, or shady login-in privileges. Chicago-based designer Cari Giannoulias sums it up: “One is either really user-friendly and pretty, but not super functional; and the other is functional but not really pretty. We’re in a pretty industry—how has no one figured this out yet?”
That question has been fueling a handful of enterprising companies looking to reinvent designer admin for the 21st century. As they evolve, we’ve noticed two trends emerging: seamless, e-commerce-like purchasing and enhanced designer-client collaboration. On the heels of Ivy’s announcement today of a new feature that converts mood boards into purchasing orders, here’s how Ivy, Fuigo, Design Manager (now powered by 1stdibs) and Studio Designer are approaching the task of becoming relevant beyond project workflow and bookkeeping.
IVY
The digitally native workflow management platform has emerged as a forward-thinking brand with a strong community-first philosophy. Today, the company is unveiling its latest feature, called Room Boards, a visually driven tool that allows members to assemble products and services by room and ultimately show their concepts to clients.
The objective is to streamline product vetting in the pre-proposal stage by sharing a board with clients, who can approve or decline options and offer feedback on the choices—all within the Ivy system. During a demonstration for BOH, Ivy co-founder Lee Rotenberg arranged products and inspiration images, while revealing the program’s scaled budget feature, which responds instantly to changes, turning red if a room has maxed out….
Design Manager
While most of us were following bankruptcy news, ownership story arcs and pondering the effect of Chinese tariffs, 1stdibs announced on May 7 that, following a $76 million Series D funding round, it had acquired Design Manager. This new union brings the robust engineering, data insight and e-commerce capabilities of 1stdibs to a designer-focused tool first introduced in 1984. Changes would be coming, CEO David Rosenblatt told Business of Home on the day of the merger. Two have already been enacted: one-click integration of all 1stdibs product into the platform and free tech support, starting June 1.
We’re now learning more about what’s in store. “Designer and client collaboration is an area we are actively considering as a strategic extension of the current Design Manager product,” Sarah Liebel, SVP, GM, trade at 1stdibs, tells BOH. “We will be working closely with designers to define a solution.” The online antiques and design marketplace does not need assistance in creating a sleek digital experience, but as the executive team studied the design management software landscape, they identified two pain points for designers: entering items and tracking orders…
Studio Designer
Studio Designer’s platform, which serves just under 8,000 design clients, allows designers to click on a product from a manufacturer and drag it into a presentation while retaining all of the relevant metadata, which populates in the system and details finish capabilities, custom quotes and more.
Chicago-based interior designer Tom Stringer has been using Studio Designer for more than two decades, and is on its board of directors, as well as being a shareholder and investor. Stringer sings the platform’s praises, including one-click integration from vendors, similar to the new capabilities of 1stdibs.
“That one-click feature is the new standard that everyone is going toward,” Stringer says. “In the fall, we are releasing our marketplace, which will allow designers to buy through the system directly. It’s also one-click purchasing.” This update follows the news that later this year, all users will be upgraded to the new 2.0 platform. Additionally, Studio Designer now has the capability to easily migrate a user from any of the available platforms to Studio Designer 2.0…
Fuigo
Fuigo, as an independent company born from the digital generation and a pioneer in “for designers, by designers” ethos, has a unique perspective in the marketplace. Helmed by Maury Riad, who also owns luxury Venetian textile house Fortuny, the company sees a fuller picture—both in its efforts to foster a workaday design community and contribute to the bottom line. “Our north star is building best-in-class software as a means to bringing the industry online and transacting in a faster, better way,” Riad says.
One of Fuigo’s latest debuts is a mood board tool. “It will allow for direct engagement with clients and save time through its integration into record keeping tools in the software,” says Riad. “We’ve also released Online Client Payments, which lets designers offer a beautiful white-labeled payment portal for their clients—increasing customer convenience and streamlining cash management.”…