Last week we had the pleasure of sitting in on the seventh episode of the IIDA’s Collective D(esign) Series – a series of webinar panel discussions intended to share resources and support amongst the interior design industries.
The series goes live every Thursday afternoon and features rotating topics, panelists, and moderators.
Last week’s topic was “Product Design and Manufacturing: Change and Adaptability,” and the ensuing discussion was lively and informative, lifting the veil on yet another perspective as we continue to wade through the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.
We enjoyed the hour for many reasons – but in a time where virtual webinars are a dime a dozen, the top reason was, by far, the content quality of the discussion. We’ve all been a part of Zoom meetings, huddle sessions, or full-blown conferences that somehow fall flat and fail to connect with us, but this was not the case with IIDA’s Collective D(esign) series.
The goal of the panel, moderated by Brian Graham, IIDA, IDSA, Founder and Creative Director, Graham Design, San Francisco, was to see how firms and vendors are adapting in real-time to design needs, sourcing, supply chain systems, and production methodologies – both in reaction to the current pandemic and to prepare for resiliency in the future.
The discussion featured an excellent group of industry vets on the product design and manufacturing side:
>Lisa King, Ph.D., VP, Product Innovation and Insights, Interface, Atlanta
>Ryan Menke, Ind. IIDA, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, OFS, Huntingburg, IN (just got a cat named Charmin)
>Catherine Minervini, Ind. IIDA, A+D Regional Manager, Sunbrella/Glen Raven, New York
>Alex Williams, Founding Partner and Director of Growth, Rich Brilliant Willing, New York

Below you’ll find the best information coming out of the conversation between five individuals who know the biz inside and out.
Brian Graham: As manufacturers, I imagine you guys face a unique set of challenges, as a good portion of the teams that you work with are involved in the physical making of things. With all of that, how are you innovating in those areas?
Lisa King: We’re a global manufacturer with manufacturing facilities around the world. I would say as advice for others – make sure you’ve looked at your business continuity plans in great detail. Make sure that it’s not just your own ability to manufacture products that’s going to be a key to your success, but also your ability to get those products delivered to customers, who may be in various states of availability to accept products. We’re fortunate that we can serve our customer needs from multiple facilities, but of course that that’s just part of it. Make sure from the beginning to middle and end – that you can make the product, you can get the product shipped, and when you get the product shipped, there’s someone there to receive it, and that the product is not showing up too late or too early, which can also be a problem.
Ryan Menke: What I will tell you as an ex-supply chain guy and a current sales guy is, ‘Don’t chase the trend or the fad. So many people got caught trying to outrun the virus. Stateside it’s definitely been difficult. Supply chain is one of the hardest jobs out there right now. To manage nuances state-by-state has provided some unique challenges, but so far we’ve been able to navigate those successfully.
Brian Graham: You bring up a really interesting point that sometimes is kind of hard to grasp – which is that while you guys make things, you’re also reliant on supply chains and vendors in some respects, maybe more than others, to help you guys pull things together and end up making products. Have you guys seen some challenges in regard to your supply chain?
Alex Williams: For us, Made in Brooklyn went from being really cool to being really tough pretty quickly. We do rely on a surprisingly complex supply chain for a company our size. We’ve been able to adapt pretty quickly and work with some partners both regionally and internationally that have facilities that have stayed open. Actually, we have some wonderful component vendors in China and Taiwan, who’ve been open this whole time, and they’ve really stepped up and helped to support us and even offered to provide PPE and other resources for us and for our community. Our supply chain has actually become some of our best friends through all of this.
Brian Graham: Has anybody felt like the vendors might be able to make things, but it’s getting it to you that’s been more of a challenge?
Lisa King: In our case, when we’ve had to move product, product that had been manufactured was easier for us to move. Where you might find some hiccups is in very small samples or things that you would normally air freight over for review. Because if you look at the reduction in commercial air travel right now, a lot of those samples – they don’t come on a container ship the way your manufactured product does. They come over in the cargo hold of a commercial airline, so you have to just be mindful that you may have unexpected delays not really related to your essential supply chain.
Brian Graham: What does your new product pipeline look like these days?
Ryan Menke: Our pipeline is usually a couple years deep. Going into it, you look to prioritize. And what was priority before the pandemic may not be after. There are some near-term things, for example – there’s a huge shortage of over-bed tables that we pushed a redesign through for. There are certain screening elements and space division elements that we want to make sure we look at and design for. It certainly takes a lot of understanding the context as you make those decisions – to not be too knee-jerk in your reactions to these things.
Catherine Minervini: We work with about 27 different brands, so what we’re focusing on now is supporting those brand partners and helping those brands gets through. We’re tapping into each one of those partnerships to understand when they were shooting to launch products, especially with NeoCon approaching, and to help keep those schedules and goals on-track. We’re also working on what might be needed regarding recycled content and where it might be applied – not just in the healthcare environment, but how will it transcend across different market segments?
Lisa King: Everybody’s product innovation roadmap is always changing. If you looked at Interface 10 years ago, you saw a carpet manufacturer. Now, we have LVT, rubber, etc. We’ve developed an entire resilient flooring identity. You’re really going to see more of what we’re already doing, not necessarily different things.
Brian Graham: Resilient is a word I think we’re all hearing these days. If we can incorporate that into our products, then we’re better for it. Adaptability seems really important, too. In that sense, have you guys reached out to any outside consultants or partners to innovate around those concerns?
Ryan Menke: We’re looking at our healthcare brand, Carolina, to see what type of cross-collaborative opportunities there are. We’re always cautioning to not react, but respond. I am terrified of where these new solutions are going to end up – most likely in a landfill. What’s a good day-one solution, but also what’s a good day-two, three, four, and five solution. It may not be six feet social distancing in a month – it could be something else. That’s where adaptability is really important.
Catherine Minervini: This is the time to look at where you excel – what you are really good at. Ask, how do you exploit that more? An example for us would be looking at antimicrobial fabrics as a standard. You can’t really rush those, though. You have to do your research. We’re looking at what makes sense in the long-term. It’s very important to take a pause, whether it be in R&D, product development, or sales; you have to be thoughtful about it.
Alex Williams: Workplace and hospitality are two of the biggest areas for our product. We’re trying to see what types of changes will happen in those environments. We’re exploring the concept of creating an atmosphere at home that enables comfortable, productive work. Longer term, we’re looking at efficiency adjustments that will make our products better.
Brian Graham: It brings up the central thing here with our design ecosystem. Everyone of us is reliant on designers and specifiers who obviously are dealing with a lot of changing needs in the workspace, the hospitality space, in the healthcare space. Corresponding and communicating with them is really essential right now. Is this situation offering a new opportunity for you guys to connect with that very important ecosystem of designers and specifiers in a unique or innovative way?
Lisa King: There are chances to make new connection points. Virtual seminars, meetings, mixology classes. We’ve been able to connect with our customers in a virtual space, and the focus your customers are able to give you compared to that of in the physical workplace pre-pandemic, is more singular. Virtual doesn’t have to mean impersonal. As people become more comfortable in that dialogue, you realize it’s not losing that connection, it just looks and feels different.
Catherine Minervini: The old-school phone conversation is coming back. I’ve just been picking up the phone and having some really meaningful conversations. And also, what works for one person or firm might not work for another person or firm. It’s really forced a different level of collaboration than is normally required.
Ryan Menke: It seems like now there is the ability to connect on a more human level. Before, it was more transactional. We used to have a lot of trouble talking to new people and just connecting in general, and now we’re able to reach them and speak with them in a very relaxed way for 45 minutes, undivided attention.
Brian Graham: Design is the ultimate act of optimism. We’re all sensing optimism, but how are we doing something with that? What have you found to be the most effective in developing these collaborations?
Ryan Menke: We had already launched a podcast, but we quickly pivoted to focus on COVID-related issues. It’s been a really uplifting experience. The other thing we put up was a wellbeing page on LinkedIn. It’s a place to connect and to share tools.
Catherine Minervini: We have a very small R&D team, and we’re trying to find ways to connect with our brand partners. We’re looking to them to figure out what we can do to support them, whether it’s virtual webinars, etc. Part of our job on the contract side – because we’re thought of as an outdoor brand – is to raise awareness about everything we do.
Lisa King: Our sales teams have come up with some great ideas. It’s about connecting with our customers. We’ve done webinars for people working at home with children, where the kids actually get to be involved in the webinar. We’ve also done a guided yoga class. Now is the time when the brands who are doing it right, get it really right because they really understand their customers.
Brian Graham: Have you guys been leaning on any new innovative technologies, such as AI, AR, VR?
Catherine Minervini: One of the big requests we’ve been hearing from the big firms is that they’re looking for content to put on their websites, because their customers can access it whenever they need it. Virtual libraries, content for social medias, contributing to Material Bank. How do we build more content that is very relevant? Not just the fluffy stuff – but the information they really need. We always use that “relevant” term – but we really need that right now – relevant content.
Ryan Menke: We’re trying to offer content that speaks to the new work schedules people are having. We’ve seen that our web activity is highest on Sunday evenings right now, which we’ve never seen and is a huge change. I think you’ll also see a lot more AR and VR tech becoming a more regular tool.
Brian Graham: Have you had word of halting sales meetings?
Ryan Menke: You have to meet your client where they want to be met. You have to meet them where they want to be. You have to respect that person’s wishes and roll with that.
Catherine Minervini: When the restrictions are lifted, we’re not going to be running into the offices with donuts right away. Organizations are going to be looking at, “Who is safe to go back, and when? We’re going to have to continue meeting people in different spaces, different venues for quite some time. We’re going to have to continue to be nimble in doing that – and get a little comfy in that level of flexibility.
Brian Graham: It’s wonderful – the sense of community everyone is feeling, not just in a personal sense but in our industry. Lisa, in carpetry are you rethinking the way they’re made to be more resilient against carrying viruses.
Lisa King: There’s a lot of curiosity around antimicrobial properties. And while all of that is shaking out in the marketplace, we’re talking to our customers about how to properly clean and properly sanitize our product. We’re working on product construction and format, durability. In the short-term, we might see a higher interest in less heavily tufted materials and in more resilient surfaces.
Brian Graham: Catherine, how are you looking at cleaning and disinfecting?
Catherine Minervini: We’re going to be looking at aggressive cleaning protocols. People are going to want to see cleaning happening. It’s going to have to be visible. The other thing we’re looking at is that COVID and future viruses are staying on surfaces longer. How does that affect our product? From what we’re seeing, it’s not damaging it. It’s something we’re always going to have to be mindful of, so it’s an ongoing process.
Brian Graham: Will you continue as a manufacturer to invest in the physical trade shows that really make our industry special?
Ryan Menke: Absolutely. I think and hope they’ll be different in the future. We’ll definitely continue to participate in them. But we’ve been pushing hard before any of this happened to reimagine what our trade shows look like anyway. I was anxious to see what Confluence would have done to impact NeoCon. I think we a need a more holistic experiential design show – not just a showroom visit type of event. I love them because it’s great energy, and you get to connect with people that you don’t normally get to see and visit with, you can get honest real-time feedback on things. I hope we get back to where we can all be together in these events. But I also hope they’re different – that we learn and we take this pause and get better at our craft.
Lisa King: This situation does give us the time right now to take a step back, look at our goals, and what we’re doing to achieve them. In one sense, it’s good to have that space to think about these things. Best delivered with the real product. I don’t think product interaction is going to go away because it is the product itself that people are going to be specifying.”
Ryan Menke: Who would have ever thought we’d have been given an opportunity to do nothing? We have the time to pause, and consider where we’re going, and what our purpose is. And actually make a difference on the other side, and not just go back to the way things were done before.