Title: Determine the scope of a design project for an existing commercial or residential space.
Course: Interior Design II (19263-II) > Section: Developing a Design

Determination of the scope (also called programming) should include

- researching client needs, preferences, and goals (e.g., ascertaining client attitudes, brand preferences)
- differentiating client needs and preferences
- identifying the processes that can be used to pinpoint the client’s goals, preferences, and needs
- identifying adjacencies (proximities of various spaces based on the client’s needs/preferences)
- using evidence-based design
- researching the scope of the project
- summarizing ideas in writing for client approval (e.g. completing an adjacency/criteria combination matrix).

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- What is the meaning of the word programming in relation to the interior design process?
- What defines a need of a client? How do needs differ from preferences or wants?
- How can a proposed design plan meet a client's needs?

Communication

- What communication skills help determine and document a client's goals, preferences, needs, and resources?
- How can a client’s needs be distinguished from his/her wants? How can an interior design professional help a client make this distinction?
- What information helps define client needs and wants? How can an interior design professional get this information?

Leadership

- What leadership skills assist in creating designs that fully meet the needs of a client?
- How can an interior design professional help when a client confuses wants with needs, identified needs conflict with wants, or when needs and wants conflict with established budget restrictions?
- How can an interior design professional ensure the design meets client needs?

Management

- How can an interior design professional confirm an understanding of a client's goals, preferences, needs, and resources?
- How can interior design professionals ensure that final design decisions will meet all identified needs?