5 Steps to Simplifying Your Design Process

Sometime ago I invited Tanya from Mydoma Studio to write an article about this wonderful software which simplifies life of an interior designer and allows to manage your projects “like a boss”. 

Hey there! I’m Tanya, the Director of Customer Experience at Mydoma Inc. I joined the team almost a year ago now because I really believe in the vision. I believe that design professionals should have tools that empower them to take control of their businesses and and their process.

Having a design background myself, I can understand the pains that my fellow design professionals feel. I want to connect with as many design pro’s as possible and help them discover that they have so much to offer their clients no matter what stage in business they find themselves; we all have education, creativity, originality, imagination, sources, contacts and the list goes on. Even with all of that awesomeness, it can be hard to get started in business or even harder to make changes once you’ve gotten started.

I want to introduce you to a software that was created for design professionals by design professionals called Mydoma Studio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsuzsJ2-PYI

Mydoma Studio is a project management software that was built to help interior design professionals (especially those in the 3 categories below) to create a repeatable project workflow:

• upload contracts
• payment schedules
• project deliverables
• trade pricing budgets
• mood boards
• client shopping lists

Above all, it helps structure the design process in a way that keeps the designer, in control. Let’s get started!

You likely fit into one of these 3 categories:

1. You’re a student or recent graduate of a design program looking to get started in your field and start a business.
2. You’re a design professional who is looking to refine their process and get smarter about their business
3. You’re a design professional looking to adopt a more tech inclined approach to their business.

Regardless of where you fall, there are plenty of choices for solutions. That can make it even more difficult to determine what next steps to take. Breathe, you got this!

Let’s walk through your typical first client collaboration using Mydoma Studio.

Step 1: You have your first client (this is half the battle when starting out) and you aren’t sure where to begin. You learned enough in school to know that a contract or a LOA is where you need to start, but how do you write one?! You’re a designer, not a lawyer… So try this. Now that step one is complete what do you do with that amazing LOA you’ve put together? Well, you need to get your client to sign it.

Step 2: Using Mydoma Studio helps you set up gates for your clients. First you upload your LOA and invite your client to collaborate with you in your branded design studio. Once your client logs in, they will see that you have uploaded a contract for them to sign. Now you can rest easy, your client is well on their way to accepting the terms you have set to help protect you and them.

Step 3: What about payment? Yes! This is important too. From within your studio you can upload a charge and attach an invoice for your client to pay, in order to start working with you (another gate in place). This way, no matter how eager you are, you have been paid to start the project and have set an expectation with your client that you must to be paid for your services.

Step 4: Pat yourself on the back! You have a signed agreement, your first payment and now the fun part begins, designing! Mydoma Studio helps you easily clip products from all of your favorite sites and quickly create shopping lists for your clients.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klU2Exnyubc

Step 5: The nitty gritty. No matter what accounting, floor plan or 3D rendering software you are comfortable using, the image files (or PDF) can be uploaded into Mydoma studio and accepted by your clients. I might sound like I’m repeating myself, but this creates another gate to keep you, the designer in control.

The 5 steps above are a very basic overview of how Mydoma Studio keeps you in control and saves you time. There is so much more that Mydoma can do such as help you create recurring revenue by selling your signature style online!

If you want to learn more I suggest you sign up for a free trial to give it a try first hand. If you want a more 1 on 1 learning approach you can schedule a demo to help you determine how Mydoma studio can work for you. I look forward to helping you discover Mydoma Studio.

Tanya Phillips

Director of Customer Experience, Mydoma Inc