Putting your customers to work : the design of Internet environments to facilitate customer participation in the conceptual design of new products
Name
42788444-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
9.07 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
ec2f8329bf9ff3a3e8133b0f04ef7015
Author(s)
Van Buiten, Christopher (Christopher Payne), 1966-
Advisor(s)
Ely Dahan.
Alternative Title
Design of Internet environments to facilitate customer participation in the conceptual design of new products
Date Issued
1999
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
An architecture for a new customer interface tool is proposed ·which facilitates the customer's participation in the conceptual design of new products. Customer design activities including geometry manipulation, feature selection, allocation of constrained attributes and design comparison .:ire combined to enable customers to explore a defined solution space to identify solutions which maximize their utility. The tool provides a means of communication between a customer with a rich knowledge of need'i but having weak design skills and a new product designer armed with strong design skills but a knowledge of only the most codified of customer needs. When provided with an easy to use design tool based on use relevant language, the customer can perform a large number of the design iterations typical of the multi-attribute, high bandwidth conceptual design phase. Conjoint analysis is proposed to expand understanding of customer needs at design points surrounding the maximum utility solution idemified by customer design activities. The Internet with rapidly expaning bandwidth and new graphical tools is shown to be a very effective medium for customer design. the assitability of customer design across differential product and customer types is explored. Customer design is identified as a tool to support the rapidly growing trend of mass customization.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, February 1999.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-137).
Subjects
System Design and Management Program
MIT Department
System Design and Management Program.
Terms of Use
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