From Static Measurement Tool to a Connected Estimating System: Redesigning PlanHub's Takeoff Suite
This case study dives into the challenges, solutions, and outcomes of redesigning a construction estimating workflow spanning three connected tools.
PlanHub is a construction bid management platform used by contractors and subcontractors to find work, estimate jobs, and manage bids. This case study covers a full redesign of three connected tools inside PlanHub’s Takeoff suite: the Takeoff Tool (a simplified, AutoCAD-like measurement tool for reading construction plans), Project Estimates (where measurements become priced line items), and the Formula Builder (a custom calculation engine for assemblies and cost items).
These three tools form one continuous workflow. A measurement taken in Takeoff flows directly into Estimates, and Estimates rows can pull from Formula Builder calculations to convert raw measurements into billable quantities. Rather than treating each as a standalone redesign, this project treated the full path, from measurement, to priced line item, to custom calculation, as a single system that had to work together.
I designed all three tools end to end: research, wireframes, high-fidelity UI, and design-to-dev handoff, working directly from real product usage and support feedback to identify where the existing tools were breaking down for contractors.
Role:
Sole UX/UI designer
Industry:
Construction Tech, SaaS, Bid Management
Tools:
Figma, FigJam, Zoom, Jira
Duration:
Jan 2023 – Nov 2024
Contractors bid on tight margins and tighter timelines. Every extra click, every re-drawn measurement, and every miscalculated formula in the estimating process either costs time the team doesn’t have or introduces risk into a number a client is going to hold them to. The legacy versions of these three tools were functional, but each had accumulated friction that compounded across a single estimate:
User benefits targeted by this redesign
- Faster, more forgiving measurement-taking (the ability to fix mistakes instead of starting over)
- Less manual, repetitive data entry across estimates
- Confidence that a custom formula is correct before it’s applied to a real bid
- A workflow that feels like one connected system instead of three separate tools bolted together
Business benefits targeted by this redesign
- Fewer estimating errors reaching client-facing bids
- Reduced support burden from usability gaps (missing undo, no move tool, disruptive error modals)
- Feature parity with the CAD and spreadsheet tools contractors were used to, lowering the barrier to switching to PlanHub
- A more scalable foundation (formula reuse, custom variables) as PlanHub’s cost-item library grows
The redesign followed a contractor through the full lifecycle of a single bid
STEP 01
Upload Plans
The contractor imports construction drawings into the Takeoff tool and calibrates the scale against the blueprint, creating an accurate foundation for all measurements.
STEP 02
Create Takeoffs
Measure areas, lengths, volumes, and counts directly on the plans. Measurements can be moved, copied, reordered, edited, or undone as the project evolves.
STEP 03
Generate Estimates
Completed measurements flow directly into the Estimates workspace where they become line items linked to cost items, materials, and assemblies.
STEP 04
Apply Formulas
When raw measurements need conversion into billable quantities, saved formulas transform measurements into pricing-ready values using the Formula Builder.
STEP 05
Review & Submit
Review, organize, adjust, and validate the final estimate before finalizing pricing and sending the completed proposal as a professional, client-ready bid.
Because these three tools were previously built and updated somewhat independently, a contractor's mental model of "one job, one number" didn't match how the product actually behaved. The redesign's biggest structural goal was closing that gap, so a change made in Takeoff is traceable all the way through to the final bid total.
SLOW, RIGID, AND MISSING BASIC EDITING TOOLS: THE LEGACY TAKEOFF WORKFLOW
The original Takeoff tool let users measure plans (Area, Linear, Volume, Count) and push those measurements into estimates, but the editing experience stopped there. Once a measurement was drawn, it was effectively locked in place, closer to a static markup tool than something built for iterative, professional takeoff work.
No editing tools beyond the basics. The toolbar stops at Segment: no move, undo, redo, copy/paste, or layering, so any positioning mistake meant deleting and redrawing from scratch.
No scale calibration. The Scale tool exists, but nothing in the interface confirms a plan is measured against its actual scale, a direct path to estimating errors in the client bid.
Measurements are locked in place. Once an area is drawn, it can’t be re-positioned or reordered against overlapping shapes.
No bulk actions or visibility control. Every measurement had to be managed one at a time, with no way to hide clutter on a busy plan or apply a change to more than one item at once.
The original Takeoff tool let users measure plans (Area, Linear, Volume, Count) and push those measurements into estimates, but the editing experience stopped there. Once a measurement was drawn, it was effectively locked in place, closer to a static markup tool than something built for iterative, professional takeoff work.
How I got there
A takeoff tool is only as trustworthy as its measurements, so I prioritized fixes in order of error risk: scale calibration first, then the core editing affordances users expect from any drawing tool (move, undo, copy/paste, layering).
In parallel, I explored a tool-consolidation pattern: grouping related tools like Area/Line/Curve into a single button with a drop-down of states, to keep the toolbar from sprawling as more tools got added in v.2.
The redesigned tool gives users full control over their measurements after the fact: drag to reposition, undo mistakes instantly, duplicate repeated elements, reorder overlapping shapes, and calibrate scale before measuring, closing the accuracy gap between what's drawn and what's billed, and bringing the tool closer to parity with the professional CAD tools contractors were used to.
How I got there
A takeoff tool is only as trustworthy as its measurements, so I prioritized fixes in order of error risk: scale calibration first, then the core editing affordances users expect from any drawing tool (move, undo, copy/paste, layering). In parallel, I explored a tool-consolidation pattern: grouping related tools like Area/Line/Curve into a single button with a dropdown of states, to keep the toolbar from sprawling as more tools got added in v.2.
The redesigned tool gives users full control over their measurements after the fact: drag to reposition, undo mistakes instantly, duplicate repeated elements, reorder overlapping shapes, and calibrate scale before measuring, closing the accuracy gap between what’s drawn and what’s billed, and bringing the tool closer to parity with the professional CAD tools contractors were used to.
Beyond the core editing tools, the redesign also addressed how users manage a growing list of measurements on a busy plan:
No editing tools beyond the basics. The toolbar stops at Segment: no move, undo, redo, copy/paste, or layering, so any positioning mistake meant deleting and redrawing from scratch.
No scale calibration. The Scale tool exists, but nothing in the interface confirms a plan is measured against its actual scale, a direct path to estimating errors in the client bid.
Measurements are locked in place. Once an area is drawn, it can’t be re-positioned or reordered against overlapping shapes.
No bulk actions or visibility control. Every measurement had to be managed one at a time, with no way to hide clutter on a busy plan or apply a change to more than one item at once.
Beyond the core editing tools, the redesign also addressed how users manage a growing list of measurements on a busy plan:
No editing tools beyond the basics. The toolbar stops at Segment: no move, undo, redo, copy/paste, or layering, so any positioning mistake meant deleting and redrawing from scratch.
No scale calibration. The Scale tool exists, but nothing in the interface confirms a plan is measured against its actual scale, a direct path to estimating errors in the client bid.
Measurements are locked in place. Once an area is drawn, it can’t be re-positioned or reordered against overlapping shapes.
No bulk actions or visibility control. Every measurement had to be managed one at a time, with no way to hide clutter on a busy plan or apply a change to more than one item at once.
The original Takeoff tool let users measure plans (Area, Linear, Volume, Count) and push those measurements into estimates, but the editing experience stopped there. Once a measurement was drawn, it was effectively locked in place, closer to a static markup tool than something built for iterative, professional takeoff work.