SIT partners with Sixides to translate interior design ideas into industry-standard visual recommendations and bids by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
SingaporeAnd January 14 2022 /PRNewswire/ – in SingaporeHome renovation often evokes a duality of feelings. On the one hand, excitement – finally, one’s dream home will soon become a reality. On the other hand, worry – there is a prevalent issue of transparency in the interior design industry. Prices may not be what they should be, and the competence of a designer cannot be easily evaluated, so homeowners may not get what they pay for. One Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) is looking to disrupt the market by harnessing technology.
Sixides Focuses on bridging the gap between homeowners and interior designers. Besides championing transparency, the company recognizes that be It should be practical for homeowners to quickly and clearly communicate their preferences and designs, as well as professionalize and accredit interior designers.
As a consumer-driven interior design platform, Sixides was looking to partner with a higher education institute to implement its futuristic ideas. The company contacted the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to help translate their ideas to meet industry standards.
“The prospect of collaborating with a university to generate ideas, collaborate and implement projects is very exciting. Together with Design Factory @ SIT (DF @ SIT), we can now bridge the gap between academia and the business world with real-world projects, World Outcomes” Astley NgSixides CEO.
University faculty members Infocomm Technology (ICT) can help Sixides use technology, while Design Factory @ SIT It will provide a certificate program for accreditation. Sixides shares the same values as SIT, particularly in design thinking, and seized the exciting opportunity to collaborate.
“We have embarked on a series of projects with DF@SIT that include Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and industry skills courses that raise industry standards, and we are exploring a lot. DF@SIT employees are very responsive to ideas and also actively contribute from their perspectives. There is collaboration Brilliant at both ends, stimulating creativity and leadership,” added Mr. Ng.
For SIT, the feeling was mutual: What better way to introduce its students to industry than with real-world projects?
When AI meets design
To solve the transparency problem, Sixides and SIT have embarked on a new frontier – artificial intelligence.
“Sixides had a great idea: If you’re a homeowner and you see a piece of furniture you love, take a picture of it and upload it to the Sixides stand. Sixides will then provide different possibilities for what interior designers can do for you,” he said. Senior Lecturer Scott Jones, ICT, SIT, who oversaw the project. “This is where SIT technology came in – we’ve provided ICT skills and resources to help Sixides achieve its vision.”
SIT has developed a machine-learning algorithm that is trained to recognize design elements such as furniture, colors, materials, and categorize images according to a set of interior design attributes. Ultimately, the system can allow consumers to receive instant, industry-standard quotes.
For SIT students participating in the AI project, this was nothing new – they had experience from a previous unit. However, there is still much to learn.
“Every detail in every image plays a big role, from the furniture to the tiles. This affects how images are classified as a subject,” he said, Nicholas LimNow a third year student in Information and Communication Technology (Software Engineering). “Knowing such intricate details really helped us model the AI, and made everything more accurate. It made me realize that every part of the user experience really matters.”
For machine learning to be as efficient as possible, hundreds, even thousands of images must be uploaded. This proved to be a challenge as the team constantly needed to get more pictures. “Machine learning is a course that can be continually improved,” Jones said. “As Sixides continues to use it, it will continually improve as more images come out.”
Now, the experimental prototype, quotationFully functional and ready to connect.
Paving the Future for Interior Design Certificate
Besides using technology to advance the industry, Sixides felt that professionalizing the sector was also critical. Thus, he envisioned a system in which interior designers could take classes and earn badges to showcase their unique competencies and validations. This would assure homeowners of quality and standards of interior designers.
“Sixides has already identified a core set of competencies and SIT’s mission has been to provide a level of standards for courses, which we have a lot of experience with,” he said. Assistant Professor Mark Tew From the Business, Communications and Design group, he is a former Architectural Practitioner involved in course development. “We worked with Sixides to embody the different components of the intended training and to propose a competency framework that meets industry needs. The courses are also designed to engage adult learners by incorporating applied learning into the delivery of course content.”
Standardized certification courses will be taught not only by Sixides and SIT, but also by industry partners and experts. The program features four pillars (Design, Sustainability, Construction, and Project Management) with three levels of courses, from basic to advanced.
For example, the Sustainability and Healthy Interiors courses focus on sustainable practices and interior design principles, from materials to inclusive interior spaces.
The courses will be open to working professionals in the second quarter of 2022 until sittinglearn professional developmentLifelong Learning Division at SIT. “We hope to do physical classes given the nature of the practice,” Professor Teo said. “Sixides is already working on buying from companies.”
Assistant Professor Agnes ZioDF@SIT President, looks forward to working with more industry partners who are keen on embracing a user-centered model. “We support industry partners, especially SMEs, through collaborative design-led projects to move up the innovation value chain.”
Sixides is one of the partners who benefited from this collaboration. “I believe that as more businesses turn (to technology-powered platforms), many will realize the value of critical thinking – a core topic in creative learning, particularly when doing design work. The DF@SIT track will include helping even non-design businesses start embracing Creative and critical thinking as an essential component of creating their business,” said Mr. Ng.
DF @ SIT was launched in April 2021 And a member of the global network Design Factory.
About Sixides
Founded in 2021, Sixides is a high-tech platform that serves homeowners with their renovation needs. Through proprietary technologies and systems like eQuote and Verified ID, Sixides provides interior designers with options that are credible to deliver the quality homeowners demand. Sixides is currently focused on the design and renovation of high-density buildings, and will soon expand to private apartments and land properties while looking to drive innovation and industry development.
Media contact: Joe Kao, Joe@sixides.com, Mobile: 8523 8086
SOURCE SIXIDES.COM