Healthcare Design - January/February 2020 - 33

problem; we wanted to bring the joy back to the specifying process.
In DesignMix, you can rapidly visualize the scale and color of fabric
without having to order and wait for physical samples. This huge timesaver is an immediate jump-start to any project. With time restraints
eliminated, users are free to explore the extensive coordinated
material results ColorAI pulls from their uploaded inspiration images
and other materials on their boards. Designers feel comfortable trying
materials they might have overlooked because they can explore design
ideas in minutes and share them virtually.

DesignMix can be used for ideasharing, too. Tell us about its
collaborative elements.

Tim Mallos

What stands out to you most about this product?
Mallos: I'm always struck by the genuine emotional responses from
designers when they're introduced to DesignMix. About a minute into
a demonstration, you can see the moment they "get it," and then the
presentation turns into a conversation. Designers share their past frustrations and tell me how DesignMix is going to help them. I've actually
had designers apologize for tearing up! This is the most gratifying project I've ever helped to develop.
Bickford: It's important to enjoy your work; we clearly do, and we
want that for our users. DesignMix with ColorAI frees designers
from the burdensome workflow of standard tools and allows them
to rapidly find and coordinate fabrics using colors of their choosing.
It's so easy and natural to use that there's practically no learning
curve.
How exactly does the software help users in materials
selection?
Mallos: It ensures designers are able to make confident and informed
decisions before they get the physical materials in hand by easily creating fully realized digital design boards. The powerful filters in DesignMix, such as fabric style, durability, and environmental attributes,
further refine browse results, strengthen the user's ability to explore
materials that meet their specific needs, and give them the full specification data without leaving the program. DesignMix's control of
material scale lets designers accurately apply and visualize materials
rendered on furniture and other products, giving them an immediate
understanding of how materials will work together by exploring multiple options and new ideas.
How does DesignMix take into account the important topic of
cleanability, and why was that such a priority?
Mallos: Fabrics specified for healthcare environments have to look
great and perform even better. Our customers tell us filtering by cleaning compatibility is another great way to explore materials. Utilizing
the cleaner compatibility filter in DesignMix, designers can make selections that meet the specific cleaning compatibility requirements of
their project. Additionally, we provide a care guide for every pattern
that provides the specific cleaner compatibility for that material. Properly matching cleaning protocols with specified materials will help ensure exceptional performance and product longevity.

David Bickford

Mallos: DesignMix has been a useful means
of collaboration for designers and clients.
Whether they're sending a PDF of their work
or sitting together looking at options on
DesignMix, we continue to see an incredible
growth in collaboration. One of my favorite
stories came from a CF Stinson representative who received an email from a designer
saying that a client needed samples overnighted, but it was too late in the day to do
that. Instead, the rep put together a board
on DesignMix and sent it to her as a substitute, which she used in her presentation. I
love hearing all the different ways DesignMix
helps designers and clients.
As part of the software, users can apply
fabric combinations to furniture. How
does this work?
Mallos: CF Stinson is a contract textile vendor with a diverse set of customers whose
needs and applications are equally diverse.
We've chosen to provide a wide selection of
models from several contract furniture suppliers. Given the easy drag-and-drop capabilities of DesignMix, these models help our
customers to rapidly and accurately visualize fabric combinations at correct scale. Our
model choices are constantly being updated,
and we're always looking to add new offerings
to meet clients' needs.
What do you see next for DesignMix?
Bickford: In 2020, we will be enhancing its
3-D rendering functionality and adding better, deeper support for product-related configuration and specification. Our collaboration capabilities and export features will also
be updated. ColorAI itself will have its scope
broadened to further enable designers to explore material catalogs faster and more thoroughly than ever before. 
Anne DiNardo is executive editor of Healthcare
Design. She can be reached at A N N E . D I N A R D O
@EMERALDEXPO.COM.

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Healthcare Design - January/February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - January/February 2020