Design.

verb:

to decide upon the look and functioning of…

Of a space, for example.

Photo submitted by Aterra Designs customer and new owner of a Toll Brothers home in AZ.

The look and function of any space relies heavily on lighting and the design techniques used to enhance the space. The kitchen light under the cabinet that helps you see your prep area, the bathroom vanity lighting that you’ve always wanted, the dimmers for giving the dining room the best ambience, the spotlight to showcase your favorite piece of artwork. The list of how your home can accommodate your lifestyle goes on… and on… and on!

The design process of a new home is one of the most fun and appealing aspects of buying in the first place. So wouldn’t it seem natural to give the homeowners some control in the decisions for lighting and automation as well, for both looks and function?

The technology is there and the lighting is there, so why leave homeowners left in the dark (no pun intended) during the design process?

Letting Your Homeowners Design Their Own Lighting Will Make You More Builder Bucks.

Besides the obvious sales numbers going up with the added sophisticated, customizable, and specific options you will provide your homeowners with, the psychological factors of choice are worth far more dollars in the long run.

Reports show that ready-made products are slowly losing their appeal to today’s average consumer — making customizable products not only popular, but closer to a brand standard. It revolves around the psychology of the increasing importance of expressing one’s individuality and originality. So by dismissing this aspect of the thought process of today’s consumer, companies and brands worldwide are missing out, some even going out of business. Giving customers what they want is more important now than it ever has been. Mass customization is the very real and very near future of products from every industry, even homes.

In an article on magiconline.com: “According to Karen A. Machleit, author of Online Consumer Psychology, customized products give consumers the feeling that they have something no one else has. These original products feel valuable and make consumers feel unique in some sense. Customized products support their need for self-expression, helping distinguish them from the rest of society.”

Virtual Design Tool. Remotely customize the lighting of every room in your new house.

Giving the individual customer a meaningful role in the design process makes the product more valuable to them. This is why home automation and lighting design is the opportunity for homebuilders to give their customers that feeling of control that is so high in demand.

Being able to customize and design online with a user-friendly tool is also the only way to accommodate to this customer — the same way they aid in the design of the other built-to-order products they are buying online.