Today’s homeowner spends the majority of their time in the kitchen. Whether we’re hosting a gathering of friends and family or meal prepping for a busy week, the kitchen is front and center.
Before a homeowner agrees upon a kitchen design, they want to see it. With today’s advances in design technology, there’s no reason not to show stunning and realistic visuals of your kitchen design. As a design firm, using the top kitchen design software is a must.
There are many different types of kitchen design software flooding the market but not all of them will work well for your business. Choosing the right software requires researching features, testing, and much more.
Do you need help finding the top kitchen design software for your firm? Here are several great tips from the professionals.
Finding Top Kitchen Design Software
As with most products, not all kitchen design software is equally good. Some have additional features that your business doesn’t need while other software will simply not meet your needs. Fortunately, if you know what to look for in top kitchen design software, the hunt doesn’t have to be difficult.
Design Software Options
Top-quality kitchen design software should have a wide range of options for you to work this. When designing a kitchen, you’re not only changing wall color and flooring, you’re designing cabinets, countertops, backsplashes, and more! The more useful options you have to work with, the better.
When researching design software options, you may want to start with a list of what you and your designers need. If the software is missing any of those needs, then it won’t be helpful for you and your team.
Your design software should give many options for choosing materials, colors, and designs. It should also give you the flexibility to layout your kitchen designs how you wish.
Anything else you need to install in a kitchen, such as sinks and appliances, should be an option in the software. If it’s not, then move on to different software.
Another option worth considering is 3D rendering. This allows you and your clients to see everything in a realistic manner as well as from different viewpoints. As you design the layout, you and your client can get a feel for space and size.
The Cost
There are many kitchen design software companies that offer their products and services for free. Yes, you read that right. But as a professional design firm, free products with poor quality are not going to meet your design needs.
On the flip side, you don’t want to spend more than your budget allows. You’ll find many software companies asking for hundreds of dollars if not more for their product. Expensive or overpriced software doesn’t always mean it’s the best.
When looking for top kitchen design software, you want to find one that’s in the middle. There are high-quality software options that come at a reasonable price tag. You can also save money by not investing in software that does far more than you need.
The Ease-Of-Use
If you want to get the most out of your software, you’ll want something easy-to-use. With any software, there will be a learning curve. But you and your team will not want to spend weeks, or months, trying to learn how to use the software.
Reputable design software companies offer a guide or tutorials on how to use their product. Some companies may host a webinar or send a professional to your firm to show you exactly how to use the product.
Any software product or company that doesn’t offer you a guide or tutorials is a red flag. You want software that helps you hasten and improve the design experience, not slow it down. If you’re unsure about a software’s ease-of-use, request a demo or try a free trial.
Software Reviews & Acclaim
Look for software that has positive reviews and some pedigree. Software companies can (and will) praise their work but this means nothing if customers don’t like the software.
Popular and well-known kitchen design software is often a sign of good quality. Don’t, however, be afraid of trying software that has little acclaim. Some new and smaller software companies offer impressive products at a reasonable price.
If you’re in doubt, check the reviews and acclaim. You’ll narrow your search and will have better luck finding the design software that fits your business’s needs.
Software Platforms
Does your company use Mac computers? If yes, a Windows-only software isn’t going to work.
Let’s say your company uses Windows-based computers instead. In this case, Mac-supported software won’t run on your Windows computers. The same also goes for those who might use Linux software, too.
As you shop for the top kitchen design software, make sure to check what platform or platforms support the software. While there are many that both Mac and Windows can support, there are still others that only one or the other can support. Again, you’ll save time and money by researching software that your computer platform can use.
You also want to consider using software that Apple and Android mobile devices can support. A perk to this is you and your designers can design onsite from their mobile device. The other perk is your clients can view your designs from their mobile smartphones and tablets.
ProKitchen Software, for example, works on multiple platforms including mobile ones. It also offers guides and webinars as well as a wide variety of options. The best part is its affordability and flexibility to fit your design firm’s needs.
Choose The Right Kitchen Design Software
Top kitchen design software should work for your design firm. This means it should meet your needs, ideas, and if needed, grow with your company. Keeping these tips in mind as you shop for design software will ensure you find the perfect software for your firm.
Want to learn more great tips on choosing the right technology for your business or property investment company? Check out our latest Real Estate and Tech articles to keep you up-to-date on the latest technology news and trends.
