The Mixed Reality Toolkit as the Next Step in the Mass Customization Co-Design Experience

Abstract

The mass customization (MC) toolkit is the major enabler ofrelational value for consumers.Not a new concept, but nascent in the context of the MC co-design experience, mixed reality (MR) merges the real and virtual world.While the literature extols the significance of MR components -augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality(VR)-in manufacturing, IT, education and, to a limited extent, retail, few if any studies address its relevance to MC and the consumer’s perceived value of the co-design experience.Is a mixed reality configurator viable as the enabler of relational benefit in the consumer co-design experience? With visual and feedback features critical to the structure of successful web-based configurators, what characteristics must a MR toolkit possess to deliver optimal experiential value to the MC consumer? What is the nature of the MR toolkitand its bearing upon perceived complexity, control and enjoyment of the co-design process?Are these perceptions the most relevant to consider in designing a MC toolkit utilizing MR technology?This conceptual paper attempts to define a mixed reality toolkit and explore its potential influence on the consumer’s perception of value ofthe MC co-design experiencein the mixed realitycontext.

Article history: Received (10.12.2018); Revised (10.05.2019); Accepted (23.05.2019)