What decision
role does the system support?
HomeDepot.com
offers a variety of design tools to aid in the decision making
process for home improvement projects. Specifically, HomeDepot.com
offers design tools for the following:
¨
Plant Guide
- Provides the customer with
information needed to design a garden and provides information for
plants purchased at Home Depot.
- This tool
provides limited decision support, as it only offers information
regarding which plants that can be grown in the different climate
zones.
¨
Ventilated Shelving
-
This tool offers three
different options that include Professional Design Services, the
Closet Idea Gallery, and the Custom Closet Design.
-
The Professional
Design Services allow the customer to have access to design
specialists who will design two illustrations for a single storage
space that will meet the customers needs. The customer will receive
a line art drawing, color renderings, and parts lists. This tool
provides limited decision support since the tool does not allow the
customer to experiment with various options.
-
The Closet Idea
Gallery allows the customer to follow simple steps to obtain
illustrated designs that meet the customers needs with a list of the
parts needed to assemble a closet or organize a storage area. This
tool provides the customer with a high-level of decision support as
it allows the customer to experiment with various design options and
provides the customer with parts lists and pricing for the designs
being considered.
-
The Custom Closet
Design allows the customer to design his or her own closet space
using on-line software. This tool provides a medium-level of
decision support as it allows the customer to experiment with
different parts and designs, however, the customer does not have
access to recommended designs from design experts.
¨
Solid Shelving
-
This tool is similar to the Custom Closet Design tool and allows the
customer to design his or her own closet or pantry spaced using
on-line software.
-
As previously indicated, this type of tool provides a medium-level
of decision support as it allows the customer to experiment with
different parts and designs, however, the customer does not have
access to recommended designs from design experts.
¨
Kitchen and Bath Designer
-
Provides the customer with a means to experiment with different
design elements of a kitchen or bathroom.
-
This tool provides a medium-level of decision support as it allows
the customer to experiment with various options, but does not
provide any expert advice regarding the design elements.
¨
Behr-ColorSmart System
-
View coordinated color palettes and view color selections in a
sample room or on the outside of the home.
-
This tool provides the customer with a medium to high-level of
decision support as it allows the customer to experiments with
different color selections, but also has access to expert advice on
matching colors.
Of the design
tools listed above, the Closer Idea Gallery, which is part of the
Ventilated Shelving Design Tool, is the most robust and provides the
most decision support to the customer. As such, this report will
focus on the Ventilated Shelving Design Tool and, more specifically,
the Closet Idea Gallery for the knowledge acquisition, presentation
and selection process. |