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Quality is the value of a product, service or experience to customers. For things that are detached from customers, such as systems, quality is usually defined as fitness for purpose which simply means how well something does its job.Definition of QualityHow well a product, service or experience fulfills its purpose and satisfies customers. While the definition of quality is simple enough, actually achieving it can be complex. Quality includes aspects of design, build, quality assurance, service delivery and overall customer experience where any one misstep can result in quality failures. The following are common factors that can be critical to quality for a particular product or service.
Product QualityProduct quality is evaluated with respect to what customers need from a particular product and how well that product suits their preferences. This is also all about perceptions whereby factors such as brand image and the product's country of origin will tend to influence how customers feel about its quality.Build QualityThe quality of manufacturing and craftsmanship that goes into a product or service. Build quality includes the quality of materials, components and parts and how well the end product is constructed and finished.Design QualityDesign is the root of all quality. That is to say that it doesn't matter how well something is manufactured and tested if its design is low value to the customer. The measure of a design is how well it fills customer needs and suits their preferences in real world conditions. This requires engagement with the customer and understanding how products are used.Conformance QualityConformance quality is how well each individual service interaction or unit of a product align to specifications and policies. In other words, it is not enough that you have a good design and generally high manufacturing standards, quality requires testing every unit that goes out the door and every interaction with a customer. In many cases, not every interaction and unit is tested but enough sampling is done to know that quality is generally high.Service QualityWhere product quality is traditionally about delivering a standard item to all customers, service quality is the much more human task of delivering service experiences that each individual customer finds satisfying. This can be difficult to get right as it requires flexing to customer preferences, solving their problems and helping them to get value out of your offerings.Experience QualityExperience quality is the broadest possible view of quality from the customer perspective that includes any interaction or perception of a product or service. For example, the experience of walking into the lobby of a hotel that can include elements such as interior design, service interactions and general atmosphere such as sights and sounds.UsabilityUsability is the experience of using a product or service to achieve something. This can include everything from opening a package of candy to landing an aircraft with a set of controls and instruments. The quality of a user experience relates to both the pleasantness and productivity of that experience whereby user goals are achieved efficiently without much stress.Next read: Quality Examples
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