A Qualitative Study for Parametric Designed Custom-Fit Eyewear Frames: Fit Test Evaluation and User Insights

Poor-fitting eyewear frames can lead to discomfort, inconvenience, or hazard for vision. Most eyeglasses are mass-produced in pre-defined sizes, resulting in improper fitting for a portion of the population. We previously developed a parametric algorithm to generate custom-fit eyewear frames based on individual 3D scanned data. In this study, we conducted a fit test study to evaluate the parametric algorithm on 10 subjects with 3D printed prototypes. Through a hybrid-approach user test including tasks, observations, surveys, and interviews, we summarized several findings that indicate the fit improvement on stability, security, and comfort. The test results also provided user-centric insights into the vanity aspect for further custom-fit eyewear design optimizations. This study validates the feasibility of using parametric design method as a powerful tool for custom-fit wearable products. Moreover, it presents a potential pathway to implement the Mass Customization service by flipping the traditional script of “user to fit product” into “product to fit user”.