ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the main arguments and questions that will be addressed in the remainder of the book. It presents the main argument that digitally aided mass customization may not be the panacea that it appears at first glance to be. It further prefaces the argument that the products of digitally aided mass customization can only achieve their promised potential if user engagement is centred. It then outlines the case studies that are used in the remainder of the book to present different modes of user engagement, and ultimately to argue for the further humanization of digitally aided custom production. The chapter provides some background on digital fabrication, mass customization, and a critical perspective on the idea of the next industrial revolution. It ends with an outline of the main contents of the book’s other chapters.
