Computer utilization in interior design: designer attitudes, function application, and equipment usage

Abstract

This research investigated the extent of computer usage in the interior design profession including attitudes toward computers, computer applications, and computer equipment usage. A questionnaire was sent to five hundred professional members of the American Society of Interior Designers across the nation.

The frequency distribution was used on 169 usable data to describe the sample background characteristics and to determine the computer equipment utilization. Means and TV test were employed to examine if a significant difference of opinion toward computers existed between designers based on experience on computers, size of organizations, and type of projects.

Findings which were statistically significant indicated that computer-experienced and non-residential interior designers had more positive attitudes toward computers. More computers had been incorporated into non-residential interior designers' offices. Overall, interior designers from various backgrounds had the same opinion in believing that computers were not cost-effective for drafting application for most interior designers or for their own establishments at present. The most popular computer applications in this study were billing, accounting, financial management, specification, and business correspondence. Furthermore, the IBM personal computer was found to be the most used microcomputer in this study.