How it works
The floor plan starts from a CAD or PDF drawing that is turned into a map in which each desk, room, locker and parking space is a bookable object. Each object carries attributes such as capacity, equipment, neighborhood and owner.
Employees open the plan for a date and see live status, such as free, booked, assigned or checked in, plus where teammates are sitting. They book by clicking a space and can search for a person, desk or room to see where it is.
Admins use the same map to change neighborhoods, assign desks, close areas and plan moves. Heatmap layers show which zones are busy and which stay empty. When the building changes, editing the plan in the browser keeps the map in step with the real floor.
Static vs interactive floor plans
| Feature | Static floor plan (PDF or image) | Interactive floor plan |
|---|---|---|
| What it shows | Walls, desks and rooms as drawn | Desks, rooms and other spaces as live, clickable objects |
| Availability | None: it cannot show what is free | Free, booked, assigned or checked in, for any date |
| Booking | Done elsewhere, by email or another tool | Click a desk or room to book it |
| Finding people | Not possible | Search for a colleague, desk or room and see where it is |
| Updates after a move | Redraw the file and send it round again | Edit once; everyone sees the change |
| Data | None | Bookings, check-ins and heatmaps by zone |
How to measure it
- Share of bookings made from the floor plan rather than from lists.
- A heatmap of bookings and check-ins by zone.
- How quickly layout changes appear on the map after a move.
Examples
- An employee opens the map for Thursday, sees two teammates in the product neighborhood and books the free desk between them.
- A facilities admin redraws a floor after turning desks into a project room, reviews the impact and activates the new plan.
Common mistakes
- Letting the map drift from the real floor after moves and refits.
- Publishing a static PDF and calling it a floor plan tool; people cannot book or search it.
- Showing everyone's location with no privacy option, which erodes trust.
How Kadence helps
In Kadence, employees book desks, rooms and other spaces on an interactive floor plan and search it to find a colleague, desk or room on the web and the iOS and Android apps. Admins set neighborhoods and assignments on the plan, and Editable Floor Plans (a WorkOps Pro add-on, included with SpaceOps) let them edit layouts in the browser, review the impact and roll back versions.
Space management · Desk booking software · SpaceOps
Frequently asked questions
How do you create an interactive office floor plan?
Start from an accurate CAD or PDF drawing, turn it into a map with every desk, room and bookable space as a clickable object, and add attributes such as neighborhood and equipment. Then connect it to your booking system and directory so status and people update live.
What is interactive office floor plan software?
It is software that turns office drawings into a live map where employees book desks and rooms, see availability and find colleagues, and where admins manage layouts, neighborhoods and assignments. It is usually part of a desk booking or workplace management platform.
Can employees see where colleagues are sitting?
In most systems, yes: the map shows who has booked or checked in to each desk on a given day. Good systems also let people hide their location when they need privacy.
Related terms
- Wayfinding Helping people find their way around an office, to a desk, room or colleague, through maps, search, signs and landmarks.
- Office heat map A floor plan colored by how often each desk, room or zone is used, so busy and quiet areas stand out at a glance.
- Desk booking system Software that lets employees find and reserve a desk before they come in, check in on arrival and free desks nobody uses.
- Workplace digital twin A live digital model of buildings, spaces and the people who use them, used to see how space performs and test changes first.
- Editable floor plans Floor plans that workplace teams update themselves, without CAD skills or an architect, typically with a review step before changes go live.
- CAD / DWG floor plans Architectural drawing files that provide the accurate geometry behind digital and interactive floor plans.
Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed