An interface model for improving the use of space simulation software in architectural design

Abstract

There is an ongoing debate on the success of architectural software in meeting the designers' wishes and in being familiar with the way designers design. One dominant belief is that as architectural software introduces a work environment closer to that of the paper-based techniques, the efficiency of the use of such software in the profession will increase. We argue that the use will increase by designing interfaces through which the users will be able to customize the digital environment according to their wishes. This thesis introduces a context-specific interface model to transform a state in the user+need space to a digital aid in the virtual design space. This model incorporates the Customization Scale Menu (CSM) to act with the menu options of the architectural space simulation software. The menu options are customized through the selections made on the CSM by the user. These selections will determine the required level of interaction between the software and the user, thus customizing the digital environment according to the user's needs.