Concept

Instead of current configurator concept such as the car configurator concept from Mercedes-Benz (Mercedes-Benz, 2011) or VW (Volkswagen, 2011), where the user has to choose first the models and then the rest of the equipment such as the car wheel or interior, the configurator concept for this project is different. This concept starts with a recommendation and the user could customise the recommendation. It is better to start with a recommendation and edit it instead of offering a long selection process in the beginning. It is less work for the user and it is closer to the real situation for example in a car showroom. There are also different cars and the consumer cus-tomises his car based on the offered cars. According to Stapelkamp (2007, p.151) when someone tries to orientate, the person will use knowledge from an environment, which the person already knows. Related to this is that copying a real situation in a concept will help the user to orientate.

A user could select a doll and an outfit, and then the user customises the outfit with choosing the wardrobe and selecting another item. It is a little bit like the principle of a paper costume coll. In the wardrobe view the user could also add items to the shopping basket.

Mercedes-Benz, 2011. Car Configurator. Available at: http://www.mercedes-benz.de/content/germany/mpc/mpc_germany_website/de/home_mpc/passengercars/home/new_cars/configurator_showroom.flash.html [Accessed 5 February 2011].

Volkswage, 2011. Car Configurator. Available at: http://www.volkswagen.de/de/CC5.html [Accessed 5 February 2011].

Picture material for the Apps from Cos. Available at:  http://www.cosstores.com  [ Accessed 7 June 2011].