IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2013 - 26

increasingly augmented (but not supplanted)
by technology

GOldmaN: You’ll be able to use your iPad to order samples on the
spot and see the sample installed in environments, enhancing
your understanding of its pattern and scale.
deGR aCe: Our tiles have QR codes on the back, allowing you
to instantly access the digital version—and start designing
immediately.
ROThmaN: We just developed an invitation-only app, The Thread,
for accessing our library of resources and collections. It’s a
virtual space, a central point of communication and presentation
that facilitates collaboration and color selection with our design
clientele, tracks work in progress, stores completed designs for
past and future reference, etc. Designers can log in at Tai Ping
global showrooms or remotely via iPad or the Internet. Incorporating innovative technologies in a meaningful way into
our established practices is critical to staying progressive. At
the same time, our custom rug process is very complex, tactile,
and visual, so virtual space will only ever be an additional tool
to help simplify and enrich the steps.
WaldRep: Augmented-reality technology will deepen the in-themoment storytelling, inspiration, and education about product
options and design possibilities. Look for a natural progression
of what’s already available: more showroom representatives
equipped with tablet computers that are able to check inventories
on the spot, pull up product details and showroom scene photography, and carry out transactions on the showroom floor. These
same capabilities can happen through touch-screens stationed
throughout the space, putting the power of search at designers’
fingertips. Of course, exciting tools like Google Glass and NFC
(near-field communications) could take this to unparalleled levels
as they become more readily available to all of us.
STaRk: Interactive touch-screen walls and the like will enable
designers to work with showroom employees to view more
products with more customization features than ever before—
and access information that they’d previously relied on a salesperson for. But the need for physical samples will always exist.

as well as easy access to PDF brochures and technical information that can be sent via email; no need to leave with a bag full of
literature. That’s good for all involved, including the environment.
ROThmaN: Virtual access to our designs and resources online will
supplement, rather than replace, our in-person concierge service.
Enabling architects and designers to interact with our internal
resources and view them at their leisure—from wherever they
are—will streamline and simplify the complicated business of
custom design. Our new Paris showroom is cutting edge, with
integrated technology in the form of large screens embedded in
custom worktables. Ironically, what makes it cutting edge is not
just the technology but also the way the space feels and is organized; we call it a lieu d’acceuil or ‘place of welcome’—designers
actually want to linger. We wanted to create an inviting space,
rich in resources, that allows people to spread out.

hands-on

Tomorrow’s showroom will be an evolution of today’s,
becoming more an extension of a designer’s own studio, and less
a ‘museum’ displaying our products.`
deGRaCe:

automated

Product information will become more easily accessible
for designers by simply scanning a tag to call up myriad tasks the
showroom can prompt—anything from requesting a sample to
ordering a 9-by-12 rug. This information-flow automation will
increase efficiency and help revive the showroom business model.
We’ve begun placing QR codes on product labels to enable our
staff and designers to view product availability, lead times, and
other pertinent information. We are focused on creating tools
that streamline the in-store sales process so designers can get
their job done more quickly.
STaRk:

a self-guided and leisurely experience

GReeN: I think designers would very much appreciate exploring

environments at their own pace—and on their own time—
without someone looking over their shoulder. Space is very
personal, and self-guided tours are possible using off-the-shelf
technology. A customer could roam the showroom with an
electronic device—a preloaded iPad, for instance—to access
and better understand options, configurations, and planning
considerations. We plan to leverage iPads and flat-screen TVs
in conjunction with audio support to create ‘experience zones’
within our showroom, allowing for adaptive presentations
26

anticipatory

STaRk: Showrooms will do a better job learning designers’ project

needs and suggesting product before they even set foot inside.
As showroom staff gets better at communicating with designers
virtually, the time designers spend there physically will decrease.
This shifting method of communication will enable showrooms
to suggest more appropriate products more quickly, and will
result in better service.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2013