The PROKON suite of programs are developed with the average user in mind. The emphasis is placed on ease of use without compromising advanced features. The graphical user interface, for example, includes a powerful table editor and dynamically adjusted sketches of the models being built. Although these features simplify the procedures, advanced functions are still available at the click of a button, eg zooming and rotating 3D rendered frames on the screen. Continuous error checking is also done during the input phase and helpful hints are displayed to find and fix possible input problems.

The whole suite is production orientated. One can, for example, create detailed DXF drawings of your design work or generate complete bending schedules for concrete details. Taking the design of a portal frame as example, some of the productivity features can be explained as follows: 

• Steel structures can be modelled in the frame analysis modules. Section properties for our portal frame do not need to be typed but can simply be read in from the section database. 
• A picture of the structure or element you are working on, is always displayed on the screen. If you make any changes, e.g. change a dimension or adjust a load, the picture is automatically updated. 
• Anything displayed on the screen, whether it is the layout of our portal frame or a bending moment diagram, can be printed by pressing the PrtSc button. Alternatively, the screen contents can be saved as bitmap files (.bmp) on disk for manipulation in a graphics paint program or for inclusion in a design report. 
• Several modules interact with each other for improved productivity. After running a frame analysis, for example, the steel member design modules can be used to check the sections entered during the frame analysis. Sections can also be optimized by instructing the program to select the lightest section. 
• The frame analysis results can be used as input to the concrete design modules, which apart from doing the actual design checks, can also the generate reinforcement bending schedules. The concrete bases of our portal frame can be designed by taking the reactions from the frame analysis and a bending schedule can then be created from the design results. 
• Steel member connection design, as for the portal's beam-column connection, is a simple process in PROKON. A DXF drawing can also be created of the designed connection, showing details of welds, bolts and any required stiffeners. 
• A generated bending schedule can be opened in the detailing system, PADDS, for further editing. In the case of our portal frame's bases, some notes can be inserted and the number of bases can be changed as necessary. 
• After finalizing the design, one can go back to the frame analysis program and generate a DXF drawing of the structure. 
• This and other PROKON-generated drawings can then be opened in PADDS or another CAD system for adding the final touches.