Have you ever wondered about the evolution of software and what is on the horizon? At Configura, we do more than wonder–we help create new possibilities.

As with any technological advancement, we find we are grateful for where we are, but at the same time we strive for continuous improvement and innovation. Technology stagnation is the enemy of progress and growth. Software that is not maintained, updated and making regular strides forward will become obsolete over time.

What is ON THE HORIZON IN SOFTWARE EVOLUTION?

Our goal at Configura is to be the industry leader in space planning using software created for designing spaces. Modern business software is not developed by one small team sitting around a kitchen island. Instead, it is the result of massive teamwork, collaboration, feedback, ambition and patience.

I believe the next frontier in space planning and design is being led by our customers and users. Today, we are seeing new requirements coming from the design software community that are pushing developers and technology in a very interesting direction—specifically to configure for functional aspects of design early in the design process. Functional design incorporates a product’s intended context including capabilities, appearance and interactions with end users.

THE POWER OF DESIGNING WITH CONTEXT 

Product design without a context will generate a lot of waste. Adding context is vital to understand how successful a product will be when it is installed and used.

What does it mean to add context? Consider three basic questions:

1. How well will the design serve its purpose?
2. Will the design be good for people or animals?
3. How will air, light, sound, safety, energy, recycling, wellness and capacity impact the design?

All the above functional design parameters are important to good design. However, they are complicated and complex and not very often included in the design process because they are considered too cumbersome to include. Some people believe the cost and time needed to define functional design parameters are far too great. In those instances, people feel it is cheaper to risk producing something that does not work—planning to fix the problem later. At Configura, we feel our customers and our planet deserve more attention and empathy than that.

Imagine you want to calculate air quality, sound and light distribution, restroom and elevator capacity, fire safety, energy consumption, recycling considerations and a wellness score. That’s a lot to think about and organize! With functional design aspects as part of your space planning software, you can see how a design will function before you produce and install—rather than after. Configura offers unique software that can be programmed to calculate custom functional design parameters for individual projects.

With ambition, teamwork, and a can-do attitude, space planning and design software can solve a plethora of design challenges, reduce time consuming tasks and lead to a successful result. Adding functional design elements is a game changer and a natural step for the space planning and design software evolution.

Want to learn how you can introduce functional design into your space planning process? Schedule a time to meet with a Configura representative to learn more.

on the move series 

EPISODE 3 - WHAT IS PARAMETRIC MANUFACTURING?

EPISODE 2 - WHY DO WE HAVE INDUSTRIES?

EPISODE 1 - VALUATING CUSTOMER-CENTRIC SOFTWARE