3D Mass Customization Toolkits Design, Part II: Heuristic Evaluation of Online Toolkits.

Abstract

Web-based 3D toolkits create a virtual product environment in Mass Customization (MC) sites, allowing consumers to design their own products or services. A large amount of effort has clearly been expended to build a number of commercial web-based 3D MC systems, but few studies have been conducted to evaluate them, especially their toolkit design. In this paper we take a practical perspective and apply an Online 3D Mass Customization Toolkit Evaluation Model, proposed in our previous study [25], to evaluate four commercial web-based 3D toolkits. This evaluation indicates that current 3D toolkits are still at an early development stage and there are opportunities for improvement. We therefore conclude by identifying a number of open research questions in terms of solution space design, interaction design, enabling technologies and individual differences.