The development of conceptual models and frameworks to inform design for co‐design in mass customisation

As mass customisation (MC) grows in both popularity and accessibility, there is an increasing understanding of its practical implementation. Much of the current research in the field of MC is quantitative; driven by the business, engineering and management perspectives crucial in operationalising the process. The customer codesigner is acknowledged as an integral part of the MC product and purchasing process, yet the experience of the customer as a co‐designer remains relatively unexplored in the literature. This thesis stems from the design research disciplines and reports on an investigation of individual customer co‐design experiences. This research study posits that the experience of co‐design consists not only of the specific activities at the ‘product configurator’ (as commonly described in the literature), but instead that a co‐design experience comprises four distinct stages that encompass the entire purchasing experience from the beginning of co‐design activity through to the receipt of the customised product and beyond; these stages being ‘explore’, ‘engage’, ‘anticipate’ and ‘own’. A multi‐method research design is used comprising: literature review; immersive research techniques; customer journey mapping and design probes. From case studies of each customer codesign experience, relatable information and insights can be drawn that inform designing for co‐design.
This doctoral study presents series of new relatable models and frameworks that surpass anything currently available in the literature. They conceptualise and visualise the customer co‐design experience, and inform design for co‐design. These reveal not only what is happening now, but also support proposals for what could or should be happening now. The product envelope model brings together the findings from both the MC and customer experience literature to place the solution space within its broader context, highlighting the importance of service and brand within an MC product offering. The customer corridor model characterises the stages and phases of a co‐design experience within the product envelope and choreographs the interplay between co‐designer and producer. The experience matrix provides a visual representation of the placement and duration of key touch points that occur across the customer corridor, and offers a systematic approach to considering the role of enduring touch points throughout a co‐design experience. In concluding this phase of the work, new opportunities have emerged that provide alternative approaches for understanding and designing for customer co‐design experiences.