Based on a True Story!
A Design Development tool for Collaboration.
15 April 2025
Oh yes, I do have not one, but two titles for the first blog! Photo credit: Dinesh Ramaswamy
Alright, let’s cut to the chase, here’s a video that does it way better!
Woohoo, you made it through the first 3+ minutes! Now, thinking of skipping the rest? That’d be a mistake if you're gearing up to sign up for IDColab!
Yep, you heard that right. Things are getting real. But not just yet. We are in the final stretch, dotting the i’s, crossing the t’s, and preparing for our initial launch. While we are keeping the release date under wraps for now, the purpose of these writings is to educate, inspire, and get you ready for a shift. A shift that challenges the status quo and sets new standards of excellence in how top-tier design firms lead, deliver, and collaborate.
That video? Just the surface. (We’ll leave the Hollywood budget to the filmmakers.)
But here’s the real story behind IDColab, the way we’d tell it over coffee.
As a designer myself, or someone who’s been in the trenches of the interior design profession, I get it. We know what it’s like to juggle design ideas, client feedback, mood boards, revisions, and a million tiny decisions all at once. And we’ve all felt the sting of a brilliant idea getting lost in the shuffle or a project slowing down because communication just couldn’t keep up. Or worse, seeing a client drift away just because of poor communication.
In a world where social media moves at lightning speed, connecting in real time with cutting-edge technology to communicate and engage, we’re still relying on the good old email thread to connect with the team and clients. No disrespect to email, but let’s be honest, don’t we all feel a little powerless in the middle of an endless chain?
That’s exactly why we’re building IDColab for Interior Designers. Not just another tool to add to your pile, but a thoughtful space designed to bring clarity and real connection to your design process. A place where you and your clients can come together, share ideas, make decisions, and actually enjoy the process.
IDColab brings together powerful features in one place so that interior design professionals can stay ahead of the curve, not just today, but as the industry evolves. We're not claiming to have all the answers, but we do believe there's a better way. IDColab has taken many steps toward that. A tool designed from experience, not assumption.
There is more to share soon. But for now, we’ll just say this. The way we communicate shapes the work we deliver. Let’s make that part better, together.
Together We Thrive... (Smart people think so)
"Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much."
- Helen Keller, World-renowned speaker and author
The Heart of IDColab
Design Development
We take pride in offering a collaborative space for design development that empowers not just clients, but every single designer on the project.
User Centered Design
At the heart of our mission is a commitment to delivering an unparalleled user experience, ensuring both you and your clients enjoy seamless, intuitive interactions every step of the way.
Now, let’s rewind and talk about how this whole thing came to life…
Not too far back. I'll save the very early stage stories for another day since that’s a much deeper one, but this part begins after I started uncovering the problems, chaos, politics, and overall inefficiencies in the design development process.
I knew technology was my medium, and I was going to build a web application. My mind was overflowing with potential solutions, but all I needed was a place to start.
After diving through way too many startup manuals, project management tools, YouTube videos, and TED Talks, something finally clicked. A memory flashed of my college professor responding to one of my questions about a bubble drawing: 'It’s easier to lay it out and present the overall program this way before diving into detailed planning. That moment stuck.
If I’m going to architect a web application for interior designers, then why not approach it the interior designer’s way? I made a list, identified which elements carried more weight, and adjusted the bubble size accordingly. Then, I positioned each bubble based on its role in the workflow, whether it needed to be adjacent, close, or farther away. Just like that, voilà, a bubble diagram for IDColab came to life.
The vector illustration below refines my original hand-drawn layout for IDColab.
IDColab's bubble drawing. Photo credit: Dinesh Ramaswamy
Big Tech Features, Ready for All!
Of all the innovations we’re launching, these are the two features we’re most excited about. We’ve made them super easy and accessible for designers and their most respected clients.
Panoramic Viewer: 360° Awesomeness
We’re turning heads (literally) and reshaping spaces one view at a time. At IDColab, we’re all about making client collaboration not just efficient, but unforgettable. Whether it’s on a desktop, a phone, or a VR headset, our panoramic viewer offers a truly immersive and visually striking way to present your design.
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AR Viewer: Maybe the Future? Or the Now?
This one’s personal (more stories to come later). Sites like Wayfair, IKEA, even Amazon are offering AR viewers to their clients, but not us? I kept researching: Are we just ignoring the tech, or is there something more to it that I haven’t quite figured out yet? Either way, we decided to stop waiting. Our AR Viewer pulls your design off the screen and drops it into the real world, Whether it's a renovation or a new construction project, when a closer look at the design is needed, AR gives you the clarity and confidence to move forward.
Consider our blog posts your backstage pass to IDColab’s world. We’ve got plenty more to share. stories, deep dives, and a few surprises along the way. Stick around!
Now say it with us: Eye-Dee-Co-Lab. Smooth, right?
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