The seven defining measures of product quality

Image courtesy of Charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

For product creators and designers, the concept of quality sits at the critical intersection between value and profitability. After all, the delivery of quality products is the pathway to market competitiveness, commercial growth, and customer loyalty. But how do you get there? At a fundamental level, quality is a highly personal and subjective judgement. Beyond perhaps product reliability (it won’t fall apart) and authenticity (it is what they say it is), there is very little homogeneity when it comes to quality.

Consumers know it when they see it and they judge it when they find it. Determinations of quality can be based on anticipated experience, previous experience, or the experience of others. Then there is the sheer unpredictability of quality, particularly in markets where innovation and the cutting edge is the measure of success.

The aim of this blog is to offer some nuanced perspectives on product quality. Specifically, what does it look like when examined through different lenses and what insights can be gained? Set out below are the seven defining measures of product quality.

1. Preferential quality

Think of the impact of the world’s first mass-produced car, the Model T Ford, when it rolled off the production line in 1908. At a stroke, the transport industry was completely revolutionised and that which had previously been considered the benchmark and standard, the horse and carriage, became obsolete. Under normal circumstances, quality is a measure of comparability and a way to make judgements between products of equal purpose. However, there are times when the most appropriate judgement of quality is not comparability, but rather the incomparability of personal preference.

2. Relational quality

A narrowing gap denotes a reduction in the distance between one reference point and another. However, there are times when maintaining a fixed position behind a competitor is a desirable measure of product quality. This is because quality is a portmanteau of inputs including cost. Therefore, when determining quality, thought needs to be given to what is realistic, considering the availability of inputs. In the final analysis, the ability to maintain a constant position relative to a competitor may well be a better measure of quality than the unrealistic expectation of narrowing the gap.

3. Contextual quality

As an accompaniment to evening wear, a thousand-dollar pair of designer loafers, from high-end fashion stores, would be considered a quality item. Why? Well, they would likely be worn at a function attended by others, who would be similarly attired. But if you are looking to climb mountains and traverse rugged terrain, it is obvious that loafers would not be suitable attire either compared to others or for the task at hand. Therefore, framed against the backdrop of contextual relevance, quality is more than just a measure of the best materials, high-end workmanship, and cost. It is also a measure of fitness for purpose.

4. Reductive quality

A reductive approach considers issues in the most basic way. Applied to the concept of quality, reductionism has two applications. The first relates to the product and whether it serves its purpose. As a case in point, if you are starving it does not matter whether you are eating food from a paper plate or fine porcelain. If the plate can hold food and you can eat off it, then the quality standard has been met. The second reductive measure is whether the product is better than the alternative, not whether it is as good as it can possibly be. As a case in point, being able to fashion a life raft may meet the standard of quality if the only available alternatives are floating logs.

5. Appreciative quality

Think of a 100-year-old classic car; if such a product were available for purchase it would be considered a collector’s item. Keep in mind that over the course of a century, even with careful re-conditioning and diligent maintenance, the overall quality of the product will never be as good as when it left the showroom. At best, over time, the deterioration would have been managed. However, in this situation, the judgement of quality does not just consider the condition of the vehicle and its parts, but rather a wide range of other cumulative factors such as rarity, provenance, and heritage.

6. Experiential quality

If you ask two connoisseurs to comment on the merits of fine wine, their ability to appreciate the product will rely on the development of their respective palates. The connoisseur with the more discerning palate would be better placed to make insightful judgements and be more likely to draw informed conclusions, than the other. The less discerning connoisseur would then bow to the experience of the more discerning one. The point to note here is that, even amongst those who express a preference for the same thing, the measure of what constitutes quality is sometimes determined not just by experience, but by expertise.

7. Sustainable quality

Anyone who has ever owned a pair of full Brogues will understand the relevance of the insight being offered in this summary. Full Brogues have a particularly good reputation as a hard-wearing shoe, which can last a very long time. In the hands of a good cobbler, they will be carefully reconditioned and made ready to go again. Recyclability is an important part of their allure as, unlike other shoes, a well-maintained pair of Brogues enhances the owner’s reputation. In this instance, product quality is a measure of how long you can retain it, not what you replace it with.

Product quality and the various ways in which customers make this judgement is not something that can be taken lightly or defined narrowly. If there is one key takeaway from this blog, it is the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to determining what quality means. Rather, there are a multiplicity of vantage points from which customers view and frame their experience of products and services. For manufacturers and suppliers, the message is clear: product quality is a design principle for your customers (plural), not for the customer (singular).