The idea behind
Advanced and user-friendly communication system.
The core idea in the Designhub project, is to create an online communication platform designed to make it possible for business partners in the clothing industry to have an effective daily communication with their suppliers and subcontractors. Managing the process of product development is very complex, and constant overview of the communication threads is of outmost importance.
The DesignHub platform aims at supporting the process in a simple and yet structured way. We have conducted the development and design of the system in collaboration with the purchasing agent Rikke Biehl, who knows the trade from the inside.
The Purpose
Complicated logistics becomes systematic.
The DesignHub communications platform is specialized to facilitate the daily communication between designer, buyer and supplier. The system is primarily aimed at small businesses, experiencing that the e-mail system is not good enough as a tool to manage the complex logistics associated with having several collections, brands, styles and items in progress at the same time.
The Process
Close collaboration and good communication.
We develop the system in close collaboration with designers, buyers and suppliers to ensure maximum consistency between the users' communication demands and the fully developed solution.
The process is based on Scrum, which is an iterative project management model that facilitates good communication and close collaboration from start to finish. Scrum also provides great predictability, because it helps establish overview of the entire project at an early stage. Larger projects are divided into smaler manageable phases of development of two to four weeks. These so-called sprints ensure continuous supplies of workable software, thus contributing to a productive development environment, where the system is gradually developed according to the user needs and the growing understanding of the systems potentials.
The Result
Information in the right context.
The system is built around the ongoing correspondence that takes place between a designer and one or more suppliers. All comments are directly related to a specific collection, a brand, a style or an item, and are therefore not lost in a immense e-mail box, but always found in the proper context.
Designhub is a solution based on Cloud Computing, meaning that the system is web based and will not have to be installed on the users computers, but can be accessed via login in a regular browser. Designer and supplier have different rights via their logins; on the design side there is room for advanced tools and options, while on the supply side there is a very simple and limited interface, minimizing misunderstandings.
We are just now starting to program version 0.01 which is a simplified version including some of the features that are essential to test the system. In the next phase we will focus on testing the system and thereby gain experience and new ideas for further development.