Automated Design Center Selection System for Home Builders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional design center systems are inefficient, often taking many hours and resulting in mistakes during the selection and implementation of customization options for building a new home.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that automates the selection process using a database with unique identifying codes, such as QR codes, allowing buyers to make virtual selections and generate purchase orders, while providing builders with tools to upload options, track preferences, and analyze sales data for improved management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual selection and purchase order creation processes are used in design centers, then buyers can make selections and builders can implement customizations, but the process takes many hours and results in mistakes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of selection and purchase order creation with an automated digital system. Buyers use computing devices to select options from a database, and the system automatically generates purchase orders, eliminating the need for manual staff intervention in the selection process and reducing errors through automated data capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables buyers to independently make selections and generate purchase orders through a user interface on computing devices. The automated system guides buyers through the selection process and automatically creates purchase orders without requiring staff assistance, thereby reducing time loss and improving productivity.
2Reliability
If manual creation of purchase orders is used, then staff can process selections, but the process is prone to mistakes and inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of purchase order creation with an automated digital system. The system automatically captures selection data from the database and generates purchase orders without manual intervention, eliminating transcription errors and improving reliability through automated data processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides automated feedback mechanisms that confirm selections and generate purchase orders with verification. The automated system tracks and validates data throughout the selection process, providing feedback to buyers and builders to ensure accuracy and reduce errors in purchase order creation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for automating design center product selection includes maintaining a design center database based on input from a builder, the design center database including a options available; providing a buyer interface accessible from a computing device, the buyer interface; receiving one or more selections from the buyer through the buyer interface; creating a purchase order based on a finalized selection from the buyer; creating a summary document accessible to the buyer and to the builder, the summary document having selection photos of a home with the selected options; and assigning a unique identifying code to each of the options, the unique identifying code further being associated with the selected options on the summary document.