User-friendly: designing customer spaces with visual floor plans
Site Assessment
5 min read
Challenge
Designing customer spaces clearly and collaboratively
As an interior designer, Courtney works with customers who are designing new homes or redesigning existing spaces. Her role involves understanding what customers want to achieve in their homes, whether that means introducing new furniture pieces, working with existing items, or adding accessories such as artwork.
Before using magicplan, Courtney relied on industry-standard design software she learned while studying interior architecture and design. She found this software clunky and slow, requiring every wall, doorway, window, and furniture piece to be drawn line by line. This made the process time-consuming and difficult to use, especially when sitting with a customer during a consultation.
Solution
Creating visual floor plans during in-home consultations
Courtney begins her process by visiting a customer’s home for an initial consultation. She discusses their goals for the space, takes measurements, and uses magicplan to create a floor plan.
The floor plan helps her piece everything together, from furniture to accessories, and develop a plan that reflects the customer’s needs. When the plan is ready, she presents it alongside a mood board that shows color, texture, and how new items will work with existing pieces.
Using magicplan, Courtney can place block images representing different furniture pieces and move them around to show how items fit within the space. This allows her to demonstrate visually how different layouts work and whether items are too large or too small.
Results
Clearer presentations and stronger customer involvement
Courtney explains that magicplan makes the design process quicker and easier for both her and her customers.
“Whereas, I find that magicplan is just so much quicker and easier. It saves so much time, and the customer can see what you’re doing. They don’t get confused and lost.”
She notes that customers often become more involved in the process, sometimes joining in and moving items around during the consultation.
“I’ve even found some customers will actually join in and move things around with me.”
Courtney and the other Freedom designers work solely on iPads, which allows them to move easily between customer homes and the showroom while staying connected with customers during consultations.
Outlook
An easy-to-use tool for everyday design work
Courtney learned magicplan by experimenting with it at home and found it easy to use and intuitive. She highlights that everything is preloaded and customizable, allowing her to adjust dimensions and layouts quickly.
She also sees potential in features she has not yet explored, such as the 3D tool, which she believes could add even more value when presenting designs to clients.
Courtney uses magicplan every day and recommends it to other interior designers. She even suggests that some customers download the app themselves to help visualize changes while shopping or adjusting their spaces.
When asked to describe magicplan in one word, her answer was clear.
