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User Design of Customized Products

Taylor RandallUniversity of Utah

Eccles School of Business

Salt Lake City, UT

Taylor.Randall@business.utah.edu

Joint work with Karl Ulrich and Christian Terwiesch of the Wharton School,

in collaboration with Dell Computer Corporation.

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Examples

Dell

Eleuria Lands’ EndTimbuk2

Customatix

Cannondale

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Artifact Set

Design Variables

Product delivery system

Customization

In “Mass Customization” design variables are usually constrained within a fixed product architecture.

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Design variables for a Dell consumer laptop computer:

Model/package

Display

Video

Processor

Inspiron 8XXX SmartStep Inspiron 2XXX Inspiron 4XXX Latitude X200

15 super XGA+15 Ultra XGA15 Ultra sharp XGA

15 XGA 15 XGA15 super XGA+14.1 XGA

14.1 SXGA+14.1 Ultra XGA14.1 XGA

12.1 XGA

nVidia 16nVidia 32

nVidia 32nVidia 64AGP 32

Radeon 32 nVidia 16nVidia 32

Radeon 16Radeon 32

P4 1.6P4 1.7P4 1.9P4 2.0

P4 2.0P4 2.2

P4 1.6P4 1.7P4 1.9Cel 1.2Cel 1.33

P4 1.6P4 1.7P4 1.9P4 2.0

P3 0.8

Memory

Hard Drive

Wireless

NIC Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

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Artifact (final product and/or prototype)

user experience

Designer User

Set Design

Variables

Understand needs

Information Processing Challenges

1. What are true user needs?

2. What values of design variables will best meet understood needs?

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Artifact (final product and/or prototype)

user experience

User

Set Design

Variables

The information challenges persist:

1. What are true user needs?

2. What values of design variables will best meet understood needs?

And even worse,

Users typically lack skill in addressing either challenge.

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Navigation task for a lap top designer

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Typical Defects in User Design Systems Poor “fit” between resulting artifact and user needs Frustration with design complexity Lack of understanding of causal structure relating design variables to

user needs

Yet, user design offers tantalizing prospects for• Perceived responsiveness to heterogeneous customer needs• Development of long-term customer relationships and brand loyalty• Price discrimination because comparisons among product prices are difficult• Satisfaction of human needs for uniqueness and self expression

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Needs-Based Design vs. Technology-Based Designexample: User Design of Custom Cosmetics

Moisturizing Hand and Body LotionIngredients: % Wt.

Phase AVarisoft TA-100 (Goldschmidt) (distearyldimonium chloride) 4.75Crodacol C-70 (Croda) (cetyl alcohol) 2.00Penreco Snow White Petrolatum (Penreco) (petrolatum) 4.00DC Fluid 200, 1,000 cst (Dow Corning) (dimethicone) 0.25

Phase BDeionized water q.s.Stepan IPM (Stepan) (isopropyl myristate) 3.25Glycerin 4.00

Phase CSensomer CI-50 (Ondeo Nalco) (starch hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride) 3.00AA040513 Cucumber (Arylessence) (fragrance) 0.25Preservative q.s.Sodium hydroxide q.s. to pH6

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10. How many bottles of perfume and cologne do you currently have at home?:  10 or more 6-9 2-5 1 None

Wouldn't be caught dead without makeup Won't leave home without makeup Don't wear makeup on weekends or on vacation Only wear makeup for special occasions Never wear makeup

9. On weekends, or while on vacation, how much time do you spend getting dressed, fixing your hair, and applying makeup?:  1 hour or more 45-60 minutes 30-45 minutes 15-30 minutes less than 15 minutes

7. Choose the selection that BEST describes WHEN you use cosmetics: 

8. On a normal day, how much time do you spend getting dressed, fixing your hair, and applying makeup?:  1 hour or more 45-60 minutes 30-45 minutes 15-30 minutes less than 15 minutes

Needs-Based Design Variables Technology-Based Design Variables

Example from Eleuria.com

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Needs-Based Approach for Dell Laptop

• In simplest case, just a re-labeling of design variables.

• More typically, requires computation to find feasible designs.

• Addresses both information processing challenges.

• Raises issues of trust and credibility.

How much do you carry your computer with you?It is always/nearly always with me.I carry it back and forth to work.I carry it only when travelling.I rarely carry it.

How much do you expect to record and store music on your computer?I would like to store my entire music collection.I expect to store some music.I may store an occassional song.I don’t use digital music.

How much video editing do you expect to do?Etc.

How big and strong do you consider yourself to be?Etc.

What kinds of computer games do you expect to play?Etc.

How much did you spend on the last car you bought?Etc.

When you choose a computer, do you spend more “just in case”?Etc.

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Random Assignment

Tech-based System

EstablishUser Profile

Show Product

Show Other Products

Needs-based System

Post treatment

An Experiment: Dell Laptops

Design Product

Design Product

Key Result: Novices performance is better in a needs based system.Experts performance is better in a tech-based system.

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Your Task: Design a Tech and Needs Interface for a Bicycle

Steps

• Identify Needs.

• Identify Specs.

• Map Needs to Specs.

• Create the web interface.

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Navigation task for a lap top designer

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Principle 1: Provide Experts with a Tech Based Interface

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Principle 1: Provide Novices with a Needs Based Interface(Look at Dell.com and Eleuria.com)

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Specify Your Needs and Preferences

Specify Product Technology (OPTIONAL)You need not specify any product technology choices, but you may do so if desired.

model

Processor type and speed

Display type and size

Hard drive capacity and speed

Network interface type

Wireless network capability

Expected portability needs

Gaming applications

Budget/Price sensitivity

Networking environment

Graphics applications

Use of digital music

Results

These models and configurations provide the best fit with the needs and preferences you have specified.

SmartStep

Inspiron 8000 Series

Inspiron 2000 Series

Inspiron 4000 Series

Latitude X200 Series

0 configurations match your needs

0 configurations match your needs

12 configurations match your needs

8 configurations match your needs

0 configurations match your needs

view specs and prices

view specs and pricesPentium 4 at 1.2 Ghz

15 inch SXGA+

SmartStep

40GB at 3400 rpm

Integrated NIC card

Integrated Dell Truemobile

I don’t expect to use digital music (e.g. MP3)

I expect to edit digital photographs

I expect to use my computer where I will plug into a local network

I prefer to pay the absolute minimum possible for a notebook computer.

I don’t expect to play video games.

I expect to carry my computer everywhere.

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User Needs

Product Technology

model

Processor type and speed

Display type and size

Hard drive capacity and speed

Network interface type

Wireless network capability

Expected portability needs

Gaming applications

Budget/Price sensitivity

Networking environment

Graphics applications

Use of digital music

Pentium 4 at 1.2 Ghz

15 inch SXGA+

SmartStep

40GB at 3400 rpm

Integrated NIC card

Integrated Dell Truemobile

I don’t expect to use digital music (e.g. MP3)

I expect to edit digital photographs

I expect to use my computer where I will plug into a local network

I prefer to pay the absolute minimum possible for a notebook computer.

I don’t expect to play video games.

I expect to carry my computer everywhere.

What should I get?

Try it out!

Match

Needed

Actual!

!

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User Needs

Recommended System

model

Processor type and speed

Display type and size

Hard drive capacity and speed

Network interface type

Wireless network capability

Expected portability needs

Gaming applications

Budget/Price sensitivity

Networking environment

Graphics applications

Use of digital music

Pentium 4 at 1.2 Ghz

15 inch SXGA+

SmartStep

40GB at 3400 rpm

Integrated NIC card

Integrated Dell Truemobile

I don’t expect to use digital music (e.g. MP3)

I expect to edit digital photographs

I expect to use my computer where I will plug into a local network

I prefer to pay the absolute minimum possible for a notebook computer.

I don’t expect to play video games.

I expect to carry my computer everywhere.

Estimated Performance of Recommended System

adequate

Save this configuration

Specs for this Configuration

Width 11.0 in

Depth 9.0 in

Thickness 2.2 in

Weight 7.8 lb

Display resolution 1280 x 1024

Office application benchmark 65/100

Gaming benchmark 45/100

Price $2,115

Click for Recommended System

You may edit any of the recommended features directly below.

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Principle 2: Consider Different Starting Points(Go see Nike.com or Timbuk2.com)

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Principle 3: Support Incremental Refinement(What’s the next lightest or heaviest computer)

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Principle 4: Exploit Prototypes to Avoid Surprises(Dell milk jug, Eleuria samples, old jeans).

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Principle 5: Teach the Customer

(See Dell.com)