Is this customization? Or is this personalization? Most of the time when you request something different from the standard offering — such as at a restaurant — it’s considered customization. When you have an interactive conversation with another person, it’s personalization.
This is more than a semantic difference — it’s the difference between letting the end-user control his or her experience versus creators guiding the end-user’s experience.
I like customization, because I know what to expect on what I’ve customized.
But it seems that the real benefit of personalization occurs when an individual has an “aha!” experience that occurs when the thing adapts itself based on the person’s profile, and provides something new, different, and possibly unexpected.
For the end-user to experience the unexpected, there needs to be a content creator “behind the curtain” who prepares material, so that the personalization engine can tailor the content based on each person’s profile.
Of course, the real question is not whether we use customization or personalization, but whether we meet the needs of our audience so they will feel comfortable with us, our company, and our products.
via Personalization vs. Customization.
