The aim of the thesis is to identify which functions may be included in product configurators in order to create a good experience for a user. The findings are compiled into a set of guidelines outlining how the user experience is affected by functions, which functions are either necessary- or supporting functions, and how these functions may be realized to create a good user experience. The thesis is conducted by firstly studying literature about both UX-theory and product configurators. Subsequently, a state of the art study is performed by investigating how ten different product configurators on the market fulfill specific functions. A benchmarking study is performed with users. This study is conducted in two different instances, one with an existing product configurator, and one with a hi-fi prototype of the same configurator updated according to the developed guidelines. In between these two instances an iterative user study is carried out to co-design configurators with users.
The established guidelines are the following: The configurator should be accommodated to different levels of creative confidence for customizing a product, The configurator should let the user express themselves when customizing a product, The configurator should allow the user to fulfil their goal of customizing a product, The configurator should show the user how to fulfil their goal of customizing a product.