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building automation
QA Graphics to Debut Symbol Library at AHR Expo in January
QA Graphics serves as an expert design resource for the building controls industry and can provide graphics for any type of building automation system (BAS). Collaborating with several leading control system manufacturers and private companies over the years, QA Graphics has used this experience to develop their new BAS Symbol Library v5 with state of the art 3D software and rendering styles. This library will be debuted at the AHR Expo in Las Vegas January 30th through February 1st, booth 1489.
This library offers a competitive advantage in the BAS industry, delivering more appealing and realistic graphics than typically provided with BAS software. The Symbol Library v5 is powerful and includes over 450 total graphic files available, more detailed graphics, and higher resolution images. Giving users access to high-end graphics and animations that more realistically represent the mechanical systems in place.
The Symbol Library v5 includes a variety of graphics and animations needed to construct building automation system graphics and HVAC graphics or MEP equipment. Almost any system graphic can be created, static or animated graphics, as QA Graphics symbol library is compatible with more than 95% of all major mechanical systems. Our custom designed graphics and 3D animations symbols include boilers, chillers, dampers, filters, piping, fans, cooling towers, generators, valves, ductwork, coils and more. Several newer categories have been added to offer graphics for:
- Fire, lighting, lab and security system graphics
- More LEDs and UI elements
Our custom symbol library also offers a variety of features, such as:
- More than 350 static graphics with over 100 animations in orthographic view
- Your 3-letter acronym on major equipment components displaying a watermark on major equipment components to protect the graphics (watermark can be visible or undetectable)
- Represent mechanical control drawings in a schematic, graphical view
- Multiple duct lengths
- Pre-assembled damper configurations
- Symbol for energy efficient equipment
- Preconfigured terminal air units
Visit QA Graphics website to learn more at: https://www.qagraphics.com/system-graphics/
Or visit the Niagara Marketplace to learn more about this product as well: https://www.niagaramarketplace.com/asb_ListingDetail?listingId=a0nD000000ClvP1IAJ&appType=Product
Taco Case Study
Download the PDF version HERE.
Executive Summary
This report was commissioned to study how QA Graphics worked with Taco Comfort Solutions to enhance their system graphics and user experience.
Taco worked with QA Graphics to upgrade their functional, templated app into one that was also well-designed and intuitive.
By working with QA Graphics, Taco gained:
- An application with an improved user experience that embraces Taco’s brand standards
- A highly detailed graphics symbol library that depicts Taco’s equipment
- Savings in time and money
About Taco Comfort Solutions
Taco Comfort Solutions is a third-generation American manufacturer of high quality and high efficiency heating, cooling, plumbing, and irrigation products.
Taco is based in Cranston, Rhode Island, but is global in scope with manufacturing facilities in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Ontario, Vietnam, and Italy. Its skilled employees produce precision pumps, valves and controls, air-dirt separators, heat exchangers, tanks, domestic hot water recirculation systems, and web-based building management controls.
Taco is committed to reaffirming and strengthening the values that have shaped the family-owned business since 1920. This is especially important in a fast-changing, increasingly global marketplace. Taco believes that the strong working partnerships and enduring commitment to product quality will enable them to remain competitive and keep Taco vital well into the future.
Challenges
Taco currently sells a building management tool called the LCI-3. This tool works well in its target market, but has only received small functional updates over the years, and no design improvements. The product’s functionality was fine, but the outdated look and feel was not up to par with what Taco and their customers needed.
The theme did not encompass the company’s brand and style. The LCI-3 tool also lacked the equipment graphics which had become expected by the market. Taco offered other options to provide standard graphics to their customers, but these standardized graphics did not give Taco’s building management tool the personal touch clients wanted. Taco wanted to create a custom graphics package, but didn’t have any in-house graphic design resources.
Taco’s engineering department originally created the custom graphics needed for their application. However, the engineers had very little graphic design experience, and the company still felt the graphics were missing their mark. The introduction of consumer-facing products had rapidly advanced the market standards for HVAC industry graphics and interfaces.
“We knew to play at the next level we would need help,” said Danato Borelli, director of engineering at Taco Comfort Solutions.
How QA Graphics Helped
Taco had seen QA Graphics’ work used by other industry businesses. These projects gave Taco an idea of how QA Graphics could enhance their building control application. The company wanted to work with QA Graphics to enhance the app’s user experience and create a more sophisticated symbol library.
User Experience
QA Graphics’ user experience (UX) designers understand the importance of creating visually appealing interfaces that put the user’s needs first and incorporate a company’s branding. After getting a feel for Taco’s vision for the application, the designers explored the app’s functionality and brainstormed design ideas.
QA Graphics created an application map to visualize the flow of the application and made suggestions on how to improve navigation or simplify a page’s content. The UX designers also researched different ways to marry Taco’s branding with digital design trends. These efforts made the application’s design cohesive, modern, and logical. Users could easily navigate between the different application areas, including a control view with real-time monitoring, activity logs, data trending, and more.
The application was built to work at different sizes on several different devices. QA Graphics designed two separate mock-ups per page to help Taco’s developers visualize how the application would look on different screens. These page mock-ups were sized for vertical mobile devices and horizontal tablets. Once these mock-ups were approved, QA Graphics sent Taco any development specs, images, icons, color values, and font information needed to build the page within the application.
The design theme and assets that QA Graphics created will be critical as Taco attempts to expand their product family across more non-traditional offerings. The controller graphical assets will provide a template for Taco to use across other platforms and create a more consistent style between their products.
Symbol Library
Taco also worked with QA Graphics’ 3D designers and Building Automation System (BAS) specialists to create a custom symbol library and mechanical equipment graphics. QA Graphics’ symbol library offers static and animated graphics, including unit ventilators, under floor units, tanks, rooftop units, and more.
QA Graphics’ specialists are experts in the BAS graphics industry and worked with Taco to build a robust symbol library. QA Graphics created all the 3D graphics and piping needed to build the system graphics within the application. The app’s library now features superior graphic representations of a user’s system, including dynamic graphics, moving fans, and pumping pumps.
Customer Experience
Taco’s team became more excited about the project as QA Graphics worked through the application upgrade and sent updates. The company was able to see how their work could be re-imagined with a modern, updated design, while leaving their desired functionality intact. QA Graphics’ designers transformed Taco’s functional but visually unappealing application and into a presentation piece that Taco is proud to display. Taco now has a product that matches their customer’s expectations.
When asked about the process and work of QA Graphics, Borelli said, “I think that QA Graphics has a really talented team of people who can help HVAC companies move their product designs to a much more polished level. The team was friendly, easy to work with, and offered good value for the time and money spent.”
Post Production
Taco’s new product is close to its launch date, and they have all the graphical assets they need to prepare the application for release. The design process required very little work to be done on Taco’s part. Their engineers were able to refocus their limited time on product functionality, allowing for an overall faster launch for LCI-4. Taco saved time and money in resources when they hired QA Graphics’ professionals to work on their application.
Taco’s new LCI-4 application features a modern style that embraces Taco’s branding. Taco’s graphics are now custom, highly detailed, and accurate representations of clients’ systems. These graphics are controlled entirely through the app QA Graphics helped upgrade. LCI-4’s design is better what than Taco could have created without QA Graphics’ expertise, and the design process did not eat up engineering resources.
“Working with 2-3 experienced designers at a high level was very much worth the cost of the project. There is no way that Taco could have sourced this level of HVAC design talent locally. Sales numbers will likely increase after product launch as well,” said Borelli.
About QA Graphics
QA Graphics is a leader in the building automation and green building industries. The company specializes in HVAC graphic development services, system graphics, floor plan graphics, and Energy Efficiency Education Dashboards™ (EEEDs). The company also provides marketing solutions such as interactive applications, 3D design and animation, UX design, videos, and more.
Since 2006, QA Graphics has served as an expert design resource for the building controls industry and is able to provide BAS graphics for any type of building automation. QA Graphics has collaborated with several leading control system manufacturers and private companies to develop custom libraries. These graphics are embedded within the control manufacturing software to provide a consistent style on any BAS. Offering a competitive advantage in the building automation system industry with more appealing and realistic graphics than typically provided with BAS software.
Visit www.qagraphics.com to learn more.
Download the PDF version HERE.
5 Challenges facing Facility Managers
Everyone faces challenges in their jobs and facility managers are no exception. Luckily, with each challenge there are opportunities to rise to the occasion and gain a competitive advantage while finding sustainable solutions for the long term benefit of the industry. Here are 5 of the the challenges that facility managers face every day.
1. People don’t know what facility managers do (not even their own colleagues). Facility managers focus on improving efficiency by reducing operating costs and increasing productivity. They manage and operate buildings, and ensure that the building has the most sustainable working environment for its employees and activities. Facility managers are involved in both strategic planning and day-to-day operations like procurement and contract management, maintenance, cleaning, catering and vending, health and safety, security, utilities and communications, and space management. Because their positions are so diverse it’s hard for other employees in the organization and outsiders to get a full understanding of what they do and they are often tasked with things outside of their primary duties as a result.
2. The public is very enthusiastic about energy saving, but investors lack confidence. Investors can’t see a clear picture of their return on investment due to the varied nature of energy efficiency plans. There is a need for more uniform standardization that allows investors to see how their money will be used and what kind of return they can expect.
3. Facility management needs to be better incorporated into design and construction in order to be effective. Operations and design go hand-in-hand when considering highly efficient buildings. A well managed building may never achieve top energy scores if it was not designed accordingly. Similarly, updating an old building without improving operations will have little effect on overall efficiency.
4. Risk of building data security breaches and cyber-attacks. There are thousands of entry points in and out of companies and data security is still lacking across many automation systems. The risk of breaches and cyber-attacks is a real possibility that facility managers face on a regular basis.
5. Getting occupants to buy in to energy efficiency efforts. Without 100% automation throughout a building, all the planning in the world will not stop careless employees from ignoring environmentally friendly practices, like turning off the lights when leaving a room. Technology, including automating sustainable choices can help, but strong leadership goes a long way in getting employees to respond.
Knowing the issues is half the battle. Through strong leadership, any company can overcome these challenges and help build new standards for an industry on the rise. With the advancement of smart buildings and more attention on energy efficiency, facility management is more important than ever and will continue to grow in the years to come.
