Executive Summary
Background
This report is an addendum to the original CS Engineer Research Report. That report focused mostly on the experience internal teams had using the CS Engineer software to approve truss designs. The purpose of this research is to go deeper into the customer experience.
Participants
| Name, Role, & Org | Interview Date |
|---|
| Jonathan Spalding - Financial Management & Assistant Engineer, Affordable Truss | 7/18/2025 |
| Marilyn Clardie - Project Manager, Spates Fabricators | 7/22/2025 |
| Xen Schneider - President / CEO, Panel Barn | 7/25/2025 |
Findings and Recommendations
| Finding | Recommendation |
|---|
| Participants have an overall positive experience using Director and Simpson's Engineering Services to get seals on drawings. | NA |
| Participants described pain points with Director and Truss Studio Design impacting efficiency and clarity. | Investigate and resolve the login prompt bug during submission. Default the "Run Design Check" option to "unchecked" or persist user preference. Reassess SEQ/checksum behavior to avoid false resets; log only actual changes. Offer toggle to download individual drawings, combined book, or both. Persist previous Engineering Package Builder field entries as user defaults. |
| Email is the primary and preferred communication method with engineers, but faster feedback is desired for urgent cases. | Maintain email as the default method. Investigate call or chat escalation options for urgent cases. Add real-time status visibility within Director (e.g., "In Review," "Completed"). Auto-notify users of expected timelines when delays are detected. |
| Participants noted some communication or drawing interpretation issues when submitting for seals. | Allow upload of narrated screen recordings or annotated drawings to clarify repair intent. |
| Participants mentioned introducing automation or integration between Director and their communication or document workflows. | Enable auto-import of sealed drawing packages into Director. Add optional customer notifications tied to job status changes. Explore portal or shared workspace features for document sharing and status updates. |
| Only one participant expressed interest in reporting or optimization metrics. | Consider a lightweight "Value of Optimization" report showing estimated vs. final cost, board feet, or plate usage. |
Detailed Findings
Below is a summary of key themes that emerged from across the three interviews.
Participants have an overall positive experience using Director and Simpson's Engineering Services to get seals on drawings
- All three interviewees view the submission process for engineering seals as relatively smooth and efficient.
- Turnaround times for seals are typically acceptable (24–48 hours) and Simpson is trusted as the sole engineering provider for these customers.
Participants mentioned a few pain points with Director and Truss Studio Design.
- Jonathan mentioned experiencing an occasional login prompt bug when submitting for seals, which confused newer designers on his team.
- Marilyn described how Director's "Run Design Check" is auto-enabled, adding unnecessary delays when submitting just a few trusses from large projects.
- Marilyn noted a recurring issue where sequence numbers (SEQ) get wiped even when no changes are made, causing confusion and mismatches in permit submissions.
- Marilyn said Director downloads both individual truss PDFs and a compiled engineering book, doubling file sizes and prompting them to create custom scripts to delete extra files.
- Marilyn also noted that Director does not persist helpful defaults in the Engineering Package Builder, like PDF suffixes or additional file selections.
Recommendations:
- Investigate and resolve the login prompt bug during submission.
- Default the "Run Design Check" option to "unchecked" or persist the user's last choice across sessions.
- Reassess the SEQ/checksum behavior to avoid false resets; log only actual design changes.
- Offer a toggle to download either individual drawings, combined book, or both.
- Persist previous field entries (suffixes, PDF includes) as user defaults per session or project.
Email is the primary and preferred communication method with engineers, but faster feedback is desired for urgent cases.
- Jonathan said most communication is by email and works fine, but noted that in time-sensitive repair situations, a phone call would be more efficient.
- Xen also said email works well for seal updates, but emphasized that delays in seals can stall production since they don't build anything until sealed drawings are received.
- Marilyn noted that while communication works, it would be helpful if status updates were more accessible without needing to check the website or check out the project.
Recommendations:
- Maintain email as the default communication method.
- Investigate the ability to for users to escalate to a call or chat when faster resolution is needed.
- Add real-time status visibility within Director (e.g., "In Review," "Needs Info," "Completed").
- Consider auto-notifying users of expected timelines when delays are possible.
Participants noted some communication or drawing interpretation issues when submitting for seals
- Jonathan shared that video and text instructions for repairs are often misinterpreted, resulting in wrong fixes and wasted charges.
- Xen emphasized that some designs require nuanced understanding, and small differences (like eyebrow monos on gables) lead to unnecessary back-and-forth.
Recommendations:
- Allow upload of narrated screen recordings or annotated drawings to clarify intent.
Participants mentioned introducing automation or integration between Director and their communication or document workflows.
- Xen suggested it would be helpful if sealed drawings were auto-imported into the project rather than requiring manual download and import.
- He also said it would be ideal if customers were automatically notified when their project status changes (e.g., "design complete," "ready for production").
- He referenced BuilderTrend as a model: it allows sharing files and field notes between designer and field team in a centralized platform.
Recommendations:
- Enable auto-import of sealed drawing packages into Director when completed.
- Add optional customer notifications linked to job status changes (e.g., via templated emails).
- Explore integration models (or a lightweight customer portal) to let customers self-serve documents, status, or uploads.
Only one participant expressed interest in reporting or optimization metrics.
- Xen said it would be useful to see a comparison of estimate vs. final optimized design cost, to decide whether time spent optimizing is worth it.
- Jonathan and Marilyn did not express interest in reports related to seal workflows.
Recommendations:
- Consider adding a "Value of Optimization" report that evaluates the estimated vs. final board feet, cost savings, or plate usage.
Interview Summaries
Jonathan Spaulding
The interview explored the workflow and experience of a truss company manager using Simpson software (TrustView Design, TrustView Layout, and Director) for truss design and engineering seals. The discussion covered daily processes, communication patterns, pain points, and suggestions for improving software efficiency and user experience, particularly focusing on issues with repairs, system glitches, and communication for engineering approvals.
Key points
- The interviewee manages a truss design operation, with primary tasks including truss design, customer meetings, job site measurements, and production scheduling.
- The Simpson software suite is described as efficient and user-friendly once learned, but database searches can be slow at times, which is a recurring pain point, potentially related to large datasets or local SQL issues.
- Submission of truss designs for engineering seals is generally smooth and efficient, with seals typically returned within 24–48 hours.
- Occasional software glitches cause confusion, such as an unexpected sign-in prompt when submitting components for seals.
- Communication with engineers is primarily via email, which is generally effective and preferred, though verbal communication (calls) would be helpful in complex repair scenarios to avoid misinterpretation.
- The interviewee suggested that increased transparency regarding timelines for seal returns would help manage customer expectations.
Major themes
- Reliability and Efficiency: The current process for submitting truss designs and receiving seals is largely efficient and reliable.
- Communication Needs: While email suffices for standard submissions, "verbal communication on some of the repairs might be more efficient" to ensure clarity.
- Desire for Transparency: The interviewee noted the benefit of more transparent notifications and progress updates for jobs.
Marilyn Clardie
The interview explored the workflow and experience of design managers and project staff in submitting truss designs for engineering seals, with a specific focus on the use of Simpson's Director software and related engineering services.
Key points
- All projects require submission to Simpson for engineering seals due to stringent city requirements in California.
- Design managers face pain points related to how the software resets sequence numbers when trusses are opened but not changed.
- The "run design check" feature is seen as inefficient in its current form.
- The engineering package builder in Director could benefit from usability refinements.
- Overall, the current system is a significant improvement over previous solutions: "for the most part, it's, significantly better than what we previously had...but just a couple little tweaks...could, you know, really make it a hundred percent."
Major themes
- Fine-tuning for efficiency: The interviewee expressed a desire for the software to better save preferences, automate more steps, and remove unnecessary information.
- Need for more relevant and actionable information in automated checks.
- Managing compliance and accuracy in regulated workflows.
Xen Schneider
Summary
The interview explored the workflow and pain points of a truss design business owner from job intake through design, engineering seal submission, and client communication.
Key points
- The interviewee is responsible for both estimating and final truss design, with longstanding experience using Simpson for the past 5-6 years.
- Communication about seal status relies primarily on email notifications, with the interviewee suggesting direct integration with Director.
- There is interest in automating client communication.
- The interviewee identified BuilderTrend as a useful model for digital scheduling, document, and communication handling.
- The interviewee expressed interest in reporting/metrics that would help evaluate the value of optimization steps.
Major themes
- Desire for automation and integration: Strong preference for reducing manual steps in document import, status tracking, and client communication.
- Value of enhanced transparency for clients: The interviewee values systems that inform clients automatically.