Computer Aided Consumer Design

Abstract

The consumer market shows a growing heterogeneity in demand. This means that consumers are more and more looking for custom and unique products. As a reaction, companies developed a new strategy called Mass Customization (MC) which revolves around offering products that are developed and produced custom to user specific needs. Via online tool-kits consumers can personally customize the products they buy by choosing colours, materials and combining building blocks. The developments of Algorithms Aided Design (AAD) introduce a new form of Mass Customization: Computer Aided Consumer Design (CaCODE) which enables the laymen consumer to design their own products by letting them modify Computer Aided Design (CAD) models directly. This way consumers can modify the physical shape of products they buy.
Algorithms Aided Design is the use of algorithms to generate and control CAD geometry. Its parametric nature enables to generate a variety of product shapes. It also enables the creation of design complexity that exceeds human capabilities.
The context sketched above introduces the principle of consumers becoming the designers of their own products. However, these developments do not guarantee good products. Consumers’ lack of knowledge and skills might actually result in dissatisfying products.
This leads to a dilemma. On the one hand we need the consumer to think along and make decisions in order to come up with personalized, single customer products. On the other hand these consumers might not be able to judge the outcome of what they are doing so their decisions might lead to bad products. The question is how to design products for mass customization that find the right balance for this dilemma.
The above lead to the research question: ‘How can a Mass Customization system, that enables the consumer to modify a CAD model, be successfully implemented for Bende?’ The aim of this report is to answer this question.
The result of this project is an algorithm that produces a variety of tables. By changing parameters millions of different table designs can be created serving multiple functions from small coffee tables to large dining tables. The table is designed to be fully manufactured out of CNC routed sheet material. Each unique design will be produced, flat packed and delivered to the consumer who assembles the table himself.
The design of the table originates from the goal to showcase typical design characteristics of Algorithms Aided Design defined by a three dimensional body with organic appearance built up from a mathematically repeating geometry.