What inspired this Wish List Request?
I have been working with several customers on Mixture DOEs and have compiled a few Wishlist items that are aimed to streamline the DOE workflow that include Mixture factors.
Please describe the new or improved feature or solution you would like to see.
1. Decimal point cut-offs for Custom mixture designs (and other custom DOE in general)
This is the table for a custom 3-Mixture factor, Main Effects Design. Clearly the values in rows 1 and 4 should be 0. It would be nice to display these values as 0 so the user does not have to either change the column format or manually change the rows. This will save the user time (and prevent confusion).
2. Include Ternary Plots in the Design Evaluation metrics and/or generate a script in the Design Table
Currently, there is not a simple way to visualize the design space coverage and factor constraints for a design with Mixture Factors. The current workflow is:
1) In the DOE platform Specify Factors, Model Effects, Linear Constraints
2) Make the Design
3) Make the Table
4) Create a graph: Graph > Ternary Plot, Load Column Roles
This is not a quick process when generating multiple designs and comparing design space coverage or factor constraints between designs.
One possibility is to add an auto-generated Ternary Plot along the workflow, possibly in either the Design Evaluation Outline Box
Or as an additional script generated in the table (or both)
Including the Ternary Plot in the Design Evaluation list would help streamline the comparison of multiple Mixture Designs, particularly since many of the metrics for evaluating designs are not as important for mixture designs. Another option is to include a scatterplot matrix for all mixture factors.
Providing the script in the data table would streamline the generation of a graph typically used in Mixture Design evaluations and analyses.
3. Make axis changes persistent in the Mixture Profiler
The Mixture Profiler is a powerful tool for evaluating mixture designs, especially when co-optimizing multiple Responses. In many cases, the design space does not include the full range of mixture components (0 to 100%), however, so zooming in on the design space is necessary.
Currently, you can zoom in to the area of interest easily, but moving the sliders or moving the crosshairs for the factors causes the axis settings to “snap back” to the entire design space. Making the axis changes persistent would alleviate the frustrations when evaluating mixtures.
Additionally, there is no way to change the axis settings in the Mixture Profiler. Right-clicking on the axis then select “Axis Settings…” currently does nothing.
4. Provide Surface plot visualization for Ternary Plots
Customers have asked if we can generate 3D surface plots on ternary diagrams. Currently, surface plots can only be generated with continuous factors.
Other software packages provide this type of graph:
https://www.statease.com/docs/v11/contents/mixture-designs/scheffe-mix-models/
There are many nice features in the plot: the surface plot, the points on the surface, and the projection of contours onto the “floor” of the plot.
Currently, mixture factors are plotted similar to continuous factors when the “Surface Plot” is selected from the Contour Profiler Red Triangle. These types of plots are not useful for mixture systems and are not easily interpreted:
Including a plot like the surface plot above but in the style of the current surface plot would be nice addition when mixture factors are present.
5. Improve the options available for creating Contours on the Ternary Plot
Currently, there are limited options for changing the output in the Ternary Plot when a Contour Formula is provided. It would help in the model visualization to be able to change the number of contours and label the contours in the diagram.
These options are available in the standard Contour Plot graph in the Red Triangle menu (Label Contours, Change Contours). Equivalent menu items when creating a contour Ternary Plot would be helpful.
Contour Plot red triangle options:
Ternary Plot (with Contour Formula) options:
What would the value be to you and/or other users if this new feature is provided?
Streamlining this workflow will decrease the time it takes to generate and compare designs and decrease some of the frustrations in analyzing DOE results in the Mixture Profiler.
Is this an external customer request?
These are not specific requests from customers, but this request has been consolidated from several customers during discussions and demos regarding Mixture DOE. The customers include JM Smucker, Adare Pharmaceuticals, American Regent, Colonial Chemical, Nagase Chemtex, Givaudan, and Michelman.
Is there a competitive software package that has this feature or solution that we should be aware of?
Design Expert by StatEase has been described to us as being the preferred software for mixture designs. Here is an example of a Mixture DOE workflow: https://www.statease.com/docs/v11/tutorials/mixture-designs/#mix . The model visualizations and graphs start about 2/3 down the page.
Will this impact a renewal, expansion, or adoption at a customer, and does this put an account at risk if we do not address this?
These improvements are not aimed at a specific account.
