Toolkits for mass customization can be seen as a link between a consumer and a solution
space and enable the user to customize a design to their own needs and desires. The
development and increasing availability of additive manufacturing which enables
customization and the growing amount of businesses developing mass customization
services will direct industrial designers to rethink their role and their tasks in the design
process. Customization through digital fabrication technologies is an emerging field where
industrial designers have to be aware of and able to design for. There is an ongoing shift
from standardization and mass production towards individualization, markets of one and
customization. The aim of this exploratory study is to get a better understanding of toolkits
for mass customization in order to develop a method for designing customizable products.
The experiment conducted in this study invited participants to customize, use and evaluate
a kitchen product. We present five core findings from this experiment. This study has
identified several issues that play a role when consumers take on the task of customizing a
consumer product. The study has also shown potential future areas when it comes to
parametric design.
DRS 2012 Bangkok
space and enable the user to customize a design to their own needs and desires. The
development and increasing availability of additive manufacturing which enables
customization and the growing amount of businesses developing mass customization
services will direct industrial designers to rethink their role and their tasks in the design
process. Customization through digital fabrication technologies is an emerging field where
industrial designers have to be aware of and able to design for. There is an ongoing shift
from standardization and mass production towards individualization, markets of one and
customization. The aim of this exploratory study is to get a better understanding of toolkits
for mass customization in order to develop a method for designing customizable products.
The experiment conducted in this study invited participants to customize, use and evaluate
a kitchen product. We present five core findings from this experiment. This study has
identified several issues that play a role when consumers take on the task of customizing a
consumer product. The study has also shown potential future areas when it comes to
parametric design.
DRS 2012 Bangkok
