Realization of a development platform for Web-based product customization systems

Web-based product customization systems have been proven effective in satisfying customers’ individual requirements and in bringing innovative and profitable products to market quickly. In order to develop Web-based product customization systems efficiently, a development platform is studied and outlined in this paper. First, the function of the platform is analysed, and the function model of the platform is presented. Next, a structural framework will be presented, describing the structure and the working mechanisms of the platform. Additionally, in order to improve the adaptability of the platform, two key technologies are illustrated in detail: definition technology of multiple customization approaches and component-based technology for application modules of the platform. Some practical customization systems have been developed using the platform, and a case study demonstrating the development process of a furniture customization system is presented at the end of the paper.