The 9 Dimensions of Product Quality
When we decide to purchase a product, we obviously want stuff with good quality. But what, exactly, determines whether a product is good?
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Concept Summary
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When we decide to purchase a product, we obviously want stuff with good quality. But what, exactly, determines whether a product is of good quality, or just downright shitty?
This framework examines elements of quality in products, based on Harvard Business School Professor David A. Garvin’s work “8 Dimensions of Quality” in 1986, with one additional quality that is “Safety”.
Here they are, explained in order:
1. Performance
This is the product’s basic operating characteristics. Basically the primary task you’d want a product to do or provide.
Say, for illustrative purposes, you buy a car from that shady dealer right behind the trailer park. You know, to save some money. You get in there, check out a totally legit-looking car, chat a bit with the salesman, shed out three grand, and for some reason it didn’t come across your mind to test the car before you unsuspectingly hand the money to the salesman, who is now already gone.
Then you get in the car, turn the key, work the gear stick, and hit the gas pedal…only to realize that the car won’t even start at all. See, this car has failed to meet the first quality dimension: to perform the task you expect it to do, which is to carry your ass from point A to point B.
2. Features
The extra stuff added to the product’s basic functionality, to better facilitate the user in, well, using the product.
So you brought your car to a shady shop, which just happens to be located near the shady dealer you bought your car from, get the engines working, and you’re ready to hit the road. Roughly five minutes into your journey, you realize that: 1) you don’t even know where you’re going, and 2) your car doesn’t have air conditioning, sound system, or even a speedometer.
See, your car has now met the first quality dimension — performance — because it can haul your ass to anywhere you want it to. And that’s it. Because apparently air conditioning is only for pussies.
3. Reliability
The product’s ability to operate properly within the expected time frame.
So now you’ve jocked your car up. It has AC, a working sound system, and now you can’t tell the cops that you could not have possibly known whether you were above the speed limit anymore because you’ve got that speedometer installed.
Fifteen minutes after you drove it out of the shop, the car breaks down. Suddenly you find yourself missing one tire, both your mirrors fell out, oil spurting out in all direction — a total mess.
Now, the car has met the first two dimensions, but it failed to operate properly within a specific expectation of time frame you’ve probably only imagined in your head, because you got no warranty whatsoever when you bought the car.
Hmm, maybe you deserve the breakdown after all.
4. Conformance
Basically how a product fares regarding its ability to meet pre-established standards. For example, minimum material tensile strength, tire specifications, those kinds of standards people put in place to, you know, keep you and other human beings alive.
Somehow, the mechanics at the shop were able to put your car back together, and promised that it won’t break down for probably another month.
You hit the road once more, only to be pulled over by a cop a few minutes later.
“Sir,” he said, “When’s the last time you had your emission check?”
“Emission?”, you replied, “What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Well, sir, there’s a law that regulates that. See your car’s emission cannot pass a certain number.”
“Oh please,” you said, “How could you possibly know my emission readings?”
And then you find out that your car does not conform to a buttload of environmental regulations, and you end up paying the corresponding buttload of fines.
5. Durability
Durability in this context means that when a product breaks down, disposal is not the only option. You have the option to get the product repaired.
So. Now you’ve gotten your car up to standards. The smoke coming out from your car’s exhaust pipe is so clean that you can inhale it without tragically dying on the spot. You use it to explore the magical wonders of traffic jams for a month, at which point your car breaks down, again. Resigned, you have the car towed to the same shop you fixed the car in last time, because apparently Darwin’s principles sometimes allow for second chances.
However, after working around the clock for days, and despite their best efforts, the mechanics sadly announce that there is no possible way to fix your car, and that you’d better dispose it and collect some money out of the deal. So this car fails to meet the Durability dimension, because it cannot be repaired, leaving disposal as your only option.
6. Serviceability
You might think that the definition of serviceability is the definition provided for durability above. However, serviceability in this context is about ease of repair, and speed of repair.
So now you take all your belongings out of the car, give it one last hug, and generally pay your final respects by crying alone inside the car when the mechanics suddenly say that they can fix your car after all. Apparently they just got kinda pissed at your car before.
One week has passed, and it’s not done yet. “We’re still waiting for Part X to come from China,” the mechanics explained. After the second week, you hear “We’re still waiting for that German technician to come and perform this particular ancient Teutonic mecha-technique for your car”. Three, four, five weeks pass, and your car’s still not done yet.
That means your car, while durable, is not serviceable, this failing to meet the sixth dimension of quality.
7. Aesthetics
How a product looks, feels, sounds, smells, or tastes.
So now you have a car that works, has awesome additional features, is reliable and will work properly for at least two more years, conforms to government standards, durable, and, after tune-ups, can be easily and swiftly repaired. You take a step back to admire your piece of work, only to realize that your car looks like shit.
Like it or not, aesthetics is an important aspect in products. Even if you have state-of-the-art technology that enables your car to pop out machine guns and spew flames out the back like it’s the goddamn Batmobile, if it looks like shit, it’s still not a quality product.
8. Safety
The assurance that no injury or harm will befall the one(s) using the product.
So now your car’s got performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, and aesthetics. Let’s say to address the last point, you decided to give your car a bitchin’ paint job.
You take it out to the streets and floored the gas pedal, enjoying the roar of your engine while jamming to some hard-core music to get yourself pumped-up (probably George Michael’s Careless Whisper).
Suddenly, you hit the car in front of you, and a realization comes to your mind that maybe you shouldn’t have gone 100 miles per hour in a traffic jam. Then the second realization that comes to your mind is that you’re not wearing seat belt, and there’s no fluffy airbags ready to stop you on the thrilling, albeit short, journey from your seat to your windshield.
9. Perception
This is how a product fares against subjective perceptions, likely from parties other than the user / purchaser. These perceptions are influenced by factors such as the brand of the product or advertisements.
So for some unknown reason other than that maybe God really, really loves you, you survived the car crash. You got your car repaired and got it back up to all the aforementioned eight dimensions of quality, shelling out thousands of dollars in the process. You finally brought your car home, and your neighbor greeted you:
“Hey neighbor! Long time no see! Is that your new car?”
“Yeah!”, you replied, “Cool, isn’t it?”
“Well, it looks kinda weird”, he said, “what make is this?”
“It’s, uh…umm…”
“Ford? Toyota? Or…maybe Infiniti?”
“Uh…it’s a…”
Then you mumble some excuse to your neighbor while shuffling uneasily to your house, lock the door, sit alone in the corner of your living room, and contemplate the thousands of dollars you’ve spent on your new car, wondering whether you should’ve just bought a brand new Rolls Royce instead.
