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Design+ Evaluating a building code app

Table 6. Themes related to Question 21
Variable Definition Example
Manual building code themes
Confusion Lack of understanding, unclear “The manual can get confusing and may cause issues for
miscalculations and misinformation when doing the occupancy
wrong.”
Struggle/Hard/Difficult Task requires excessive amount of effort to “Personally, deciphering building codes and figuring calculations
complete or achieve such as occupant load has always been something I struggled with.”
Stressful/Overwhelming Intense situation become difficult to manage “Sometimes it can be overwhelming to remember everything we
and lead to mental or emotional strain need to know to do occupancy loads.”
Inaccurate/Miscalculation/ Not correct, information contains errors and “May cause issues for miscalculations and misinformation when
Wrong is misleading doing the occupancy wrong.”
Negative emotions Unpleasant feelings “I have always been very insecure about my knowledge of
international building codes and calculations.”
Building Code App themes
Easy/User-friendly Simple and does not require a lot of effort to “I think that the building code app was a very efficient app that is
complete user-friendly and easy to navigate.”
Fast/Time Completed quickly “I would say that using the building code app significantly cut down
the amount of time it took me to complete the exercise.”
Helpful/Beneficial/Useful Makes task easier to complete “Helpful for new graduates that are unfamiliar with building codes.”
Accurate calculations Correct answer that is error-free “The app would help eliminate the issues and provide accurate
answers.”
Stress-free Condition of being calm and relaxed “I feel like it took all of the stress out of determining what each
occupancy type was.”
Positive emotions Pleasant feelings of happiness “I thoroughly enjoyed being able to actually see the apparent
outcome of an app such as this during the study.”
Design/Graphics Visuals that communicate information “The graphics that accompanied the texts made it quicker to know
which section to navigate.”
Future/Career A period that has not occurred where a “This app gives me hope that I can use this in my future career to
professional occupation will take place save time and energy.”

Table 7. Themes related to Question 22
Variable Definition Example
Building code knowledge
Occupancy Categorization of building or space based on “The occupancy classification is the type of structure you are working on
classification its function such as education, assembly, business, etc.”
Occupancy factor Amount of space needed per person in a space “The occupancy factor is the amount of sq ft that is allotted to a person.”
Occupancy load Amount of people that can be safely “The occupant load is the amount of people that can be in a space at once.”
accommodated in a building
Water closets Room with a toilet “In the building codes, we can also learn about the how many water closets
you can have in a space depending on the size of the area.”
Means of egress Pathways for people to safely exit a building “The means of egress is the path of which a person would take during an
evacuation.”
ADA compliance American Disability Act that ensures disables “I also have a good foundation for codes regarding ADA compliance.”
users have equal access to buildings
Calculations/Handbook Solving numerical problems with the use of a “I very much still heavily rely on the IBC book when it comes to figuring
manual guide calculations out, and it does take me quite the minute to flip through it.”
Lack of knowledge Insufficient understanding about a topic “My building code knowledge is not great. I find it is hard to understand
and I try to avoid it at all costs.”
(Cont’d...)

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2025) 12 doi: 10.36922/dp.4730