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Solargraf’s guided design experience

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Overview

Solargraf’s new guided tool simplifies the entire design process and makes it easy to use for anyone. It helps installers to deliver projects with greater speed, clarity, and accuracy.
It provides step‑by‑step suggestions, context‑sensitive tools, and streamlined access to Solargraf’s AI‑powered capabilities—helping new and experienced users alike produce high‑quality site models and solar layouts more efficiently.

This article explains what the guided experience is, how it differs from the previous Expert Experience, and how it improves the accuracy and efficiency of your design workflow.

What is the guided design experience?

The Guided Design Experience replaces the previous design tool interface with a clean, centralized toolbox located in the top-left corner of the design screen.
This toolbox dynamically updates based on your current action, offering:

  • A summary of the current design step (“title”)
  • Clear text instructions on how to complete this step
  • Primary and secondary call‑to‑action (CTA) buttons for recommended next steps
  • Context‑relevant menus or fields
  • Primary tools needed to act on the instructions
  • Secondary tool icons (undo, redo, settings, etc. – useful at any moment but never mentioned in instructions)
  • Tertiary tools (tools that are not relevant according to current instructions – accessible from the three‑dot menu)

The result is a guided, chronological workflow that helps users advance from an empty canvas to a complete roof model with solar—without needing to remember which tool to use next.

How it differs from the expert experience

Previously, Solargraf offered a more open‑ended workflow called the Expert Experience, where:

  • All tools were always visible
  • Toolbars appeared on the far left and upper‑right corners of the design tool
  • Users were expected to know the correct order in which to apply tools
  • AI‑assisted steps were available but not emphasized

While powerful, the expert experience required deeper familiarity with the system and could lead to inconsistent workflow order.

Key differences in the guided experience

Feature Expert Experience Guided Design Experience
Tool visibility All tools always visible Only the relevant tools shown
Workflow structure User-driven sequence Recommended chronological workflow
Tool location Left & top-right toolbars Single top-left toolbox
AI integration Available but not emphasized Embedded throughout design steps
Keyboard shortcuts Standard set Expanded set and accessible via H (Help)
Support for new features No longer updated Actively developed and expanded

Why use the guided experience?

The Guided Experience improves speed, consistency, and output quality by helping users follow the optimal workflow. It does this without restricting flexibility: you can still access any tool at any time through the tertiary menu or via keyboard shortcuts.

Key benefits

  • Easy onboarding and minimal training
  • Faster design completion due to structured step progression
  • Higher model accuracy thanks to prompts to verify imagery, models, and roof geometry
  • Better AI utilization (roof detection, tree detection, 3D rendering, shading tools, etc.)
  • Cleaner interface showing only what’s relevant at each stage
  • Reduced errors and rework through contextual guidance
  • Full access to all tools for expert users who need them
  • Streamlined keyboard-first workflow with enhanced shortcuts

How to enable the guided design experience

(Only for users whose Solargraf account was created before March 2026)

You can enable the Guided design experience in your User Profile → Preferences, using the toggle labeled “Use guided design experience”.

Steps for roof & solar design using the guided design experience

1. Building the Roof Model

The guidance walks you through:

  • Detecting or tracing the roof
  • Rendering the 3D model
  • Reviewing roof geometry using:
    • (a) Split-screen imagery
    • (b) LIDAR data
  • Fixing or confirming the roof model

The toolbox updates dynamically to display the correct icons and the recommended CTAs at each step.

2. Transitioning to Solar Design

Once the roof model is confirmed, you can move the solar tab to define the panel layout.
The primary CTA updates to take you into solar design, or you can use the enhanced keyboard shortcut:

+ (plus key) → Switch from Roof to Solar

– (minus key) → Switch from Solar to Roof

Other shortcuts include:

I → Change imagery (roof tab only)

V → Visibility settings

D → Downloads (roof report, shade report, etc.)

H → Keyboard shortcuts help menu

Optional: switching back to the expert experience

Users familiar with the old interface can return to it anytime:

  • Go to your User Profile
  • Open the Preferences section
  • Turn off the “Use guided design experience” toggle

However, note that all new design‑tool features will be available only in the guided experience going forward.

Why we recommend the guided experience

The new guided experience is so intuitive and easy to use that you need no training.

  • The latest features
  • Improved AI-powered automation
  • The most efficient design flow
  • The best accuracy in 3D modeling and solar layout

We strongly recommend enabling and using the Guided Design Experience for all projects.

Need Help?

If you have questions or want to explore specific tools, shortcut lists, or workflow examples, visit additional articles in the Solargraf Support Portal or contact our support team.