Customizability Definition

Relevant Theory

Value Chain Theory (Porter, 1985) is an approach that embodies the transformation view. The basic logic the transformation view is that a firm exploits activities in which it can add more value than competitors, including outsourcing or exploiting linkages with customers. The purpose of such exploitation is to create the firm’s competitive advantage.

Webster’s Definition

Customizability: The ability to build, fit, or alter according to individual specifications.

From Mass Customization Literature

Pine et al. (1993) define mass customization as the ability to provide individually designed products and services to every customer. They state, “… in mass production, low costs are achieved primarily thought economies of scale – lower unit costs of a single project or service through greater output and faster throughput of production process. In Mass Customization, low costs are achieved primarily through economies of scope – the application of a single process to produce a greater variety of products or services more cheaply and quickly” (1993: 43). Mass customization is intended to provide superior value to customers by meeting their unique needs for products and services (Pine 1999).

Mass customization is a business strategy that customizes goods for each individual customer in large volume. A variety-to-choose approach (Russell, 1993) suggests that manufacturers produce more categories of different varieties in the effort to fit the needs of smaller, more specific segments of buyers. A "prosumer" mass customization approach has the product designed to be so flexible that consumers can customize the product themselves (Toffler, 1980). A made-to-order mass customization occurs when each customer orders a specific product, and the manufacturer manufactures and delivers it to meet the customre’s specifications.

From IS Literature

Customizability is defined by Nidumolu and Knotts (1998) as the ability of the software development approach to be tailored to the specific needs of individual projects. This study will adapt measurement scales from Nidumolu and Knotts.

From Marketing Literature

Logman (1997) developed a marketing mix chart to capture the concept of customizability.

From CSCW Literature

Customizability focuses on the requirements from multimedia materials so that they are amenable to customization by third parties, such as end-users with different perspectives and scopes of use (Roschelle et al.,1999).

Customizability can come in two forms: Programmer customizability, meaning that experienced programmers can develop new tools for the system, and end-user customizability, which means that new components can be added to the running system and are directly available to users (Begole et al.,1999).

Customizability is “done through parameterization or by encoding functional specifications. Frequently, the two views, referred to as white box and black box approaches to reuse, may be simultaneously present in an enterprise framework” (Fayad et al., 2000). Such a framework enhances customizability by eliciting explicit architectural elements such as hood methods and hotspots that allow an application to extend its stable interface (Johnson and Foote, 1988; Fayad et al. 1999).

Customizability allows the user interface to be modified by the user or the system. It can be categorized as adaptivity and adaptability. Adaptability refers to a system that is modifiable by the user. Such modification ranges from the simple act of changing fonts to the more complex activity of changing contents. Adaptivity refers to a system that learns the levels or frequencies of interaction of a given user and alters its appearance or behavior accordingly.


		Lin Chai
	Construct: Customizability



Customizability Definition Relevant Theory Value Chain Theory (Porter, 1985) is an approach that embodies the transformation view. The basic logic the transformation view is that a firm exploits activities in which it can add more value than competitors, including outsourcing or exploiting linkages with customers. The purpose of such exploitation is to create the firm’s competitive advantage. Webster’s Definition Customizability: The ability to build, fit, or alter according to individual specifications. From Mass Customization Literature Pine et al. (1993) define mass customization as the ability to provide individually designed products and services to every customer. They state, “… in mass production, low costs are achieved primarily thought economies of scale – lower unit costs of a single project or service through greater output and faster throughput of production process. In Mass Customization, low costs are achieved primarily through economies of scope – the application of a single process to produce a greater variety of products or services more cheaply and quickly” (1993: 43). Mass customization is intended to provide superior value to customers by meeting their unique needs for products and services (Pine 1999). Mass customization is a business strategy that customizes goods for each individual customer in large volume. A variety-to-choose approach (Russell, 1993) suggests that manufacturers produce more categories of different varieties in the effort to fit the needs of smaller, more specific segments of buyers. A "prosumer" mass customization approach has the product designed to be so flexible that consumers can customize the product themselves (Toffler, 1980). A made-to-order mass customization occurs when each customer orders a specific product, and the manufacturer manufactures and delivers it to meet the customre’s specifications. From IS Literature Customizability is defined by Nidumolu and Knotts (1998) as the ability of the software development approach to be tailored to the specific needs of individual projects. This study will adapt measurement scales from Nidumolu and Knotts. From Marketing Literature Logman (1997) developed a marketing mix chart to capture the concept of customizability. From CSCW Literature Customizability focuses on the requirements from multimedia materials so that they are amenable to customization by third parties, such as end-users with different perspectives and scopes of use (Roschelle et al.,1999). Customizability can come in two forms: Programmer customizability, meaning that experienced programmers can develop new tools for the system, and end-user customizability, which means that new components can be added to the running system and are directly available to users (Begole et al.,1999). Customizability is “done through parameterization or by encoding functional specifications. Frequently, the two views, referred to as white box and black box approaches to reuse, may be simultaneously present in an enterprise framework” (Fayad et al., 2000). Such a framework enhances customizability by eliciting explicit architectural elements such as hood methods and hotspots that allow an application to extend its stable interface (Johnson and Foote, 1988; Fayad et al. 1999). Customizability allows the user interface to be modified by the user or the system. It can be categorized as adaptivity and adaptability. Adaptability refers to a system that is modifiable by the user. Such modification ranges from the simple act of changing fonts to the more complex activity of changing contents. Adaptivity refers to a system that learns the levels or frequencies of interaction of a given user and alters its appearance or behavior accordingly.