Supporting user participation design using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process approach Ji-Hyun Lee a,n , Tian-Chiu Li b a Graduate School of Culture Technology, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea b Graduate School of Computational Design, NYUST, Touliu, Yunlin 640, Taiwan article info Article history: Received 26 September 2010 Received in revised form 11 December 2010 Accepted 31 January 2011 Available online 22 February 2011 Keywords: Fuzzy query AHP Mass personalization User participation Design rationale Direct manipulation abstract There are three fundamental problems that may occur in the process of user participation design: first, the participants/users may not be able to express their requirements clearly; second, they have little knowledge about design; and third, they are generally unfamiliar with the software that designers use. Based on this understanding, a method that considers design rationale is proposed in this work to support the process of user participation design. In addressing the user participation process, a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach is applied to grasp people’s ideas, in the initial design phase. A case study on creating house layout design is employed to illustrate the proposed approach. In this regard, to help participants/users create layout designs, it is proposed that a 3D generative system is used, which integrates navigational concepts, direct manipulation, and the design rationale theory. In a nutshell, this research proposes a system to implement a design rational model and improve design communication in the user participation process. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed prototype system, a user test is performed and we put forward some findings and research questions for further research and industry practices. & 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In many Asian countries, standardized housing units with few opportunities for adaptation, which offer very few choices for a variety of customers with specific needs and preferences, are the typical circumstance (Cheng and Lee, 2005). According to Juan et al. (2006), it is common that a house buyer wants to remodel the housing unit even if it is just newly built (Ozaki, 2003; Cheng and Lee, 2005). To solve this problem, searching for ways to reengineer the process and product to better conform to the demands of customers is necessary (Juan et al., 2006). Up to date, several researches suggest that customizable products that fulfill customers’ current specific needs and preferences can be the best answer for the current direction in the housing market (Ozaki, 2003; Barlow et al., 2003; Dikmen et al., 2005; Juan et al., 2006). Hippel (2005) also emphasized the crucial role of users in innovation in different industries and types of products (Heiskanen and Lovio, 2010). It is generally acknowledged that user participation in the design process increases the likelihood of a successful outcome (Carroll and Rosson, 2007). User participa- tion is a process through which design professionals can commu- nicate their design ideas to the client. It involves users in key design decisions, thus helping them anticipate and address needs in their building design (Tweed and Woolley, 1992). For this reason, customer involvements or solutions associated with product conceptualization can be regarded as a pervasion on product innovation and are likely to result in more user satisfac- tion (Yan et al., 2009; Terry and Standing, 2004). Granath (2002) has developed a participatory process in which  user participation can result in an acceptable design solution and  users can gain knowledge that will enable them to take an active part in the redesign of a building and in the design management. However, there are still unresolved issues with a formal participation process.  Users are often poorly prepared for participation during the process of change and they may have problems conceptualiz- ing their wishes, articulating them to themselves and even more so, communicating them to others (Granath, 2002; Cheng and Lee, 2005).  Designing has become an increasingly complicated process. One of the main problems for effective participation is the complexity of the design process and the difficulty for the lay person to understand jargon, methods, and processes that are familiar to design professionals (Tweed and Woolley, 1992; Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engappai Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence 0952-1976/$ - see front matter & 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.engappai.2011.01.008 n Corresponding author. Tel.: + 82 42 350 2919; fax: + 82 42 350 2910. E-mail address: jihyunlee@kaist.ac.kr (J.-H. Lee). Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence 24 (2011) 850–865