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Improving the quality and usability of everyday products: A case for report systems
Author(s) -
Çakir Ahmet E.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
human factors and ergonomics in manufacturing and service industries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.408
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1520-6564
pISSN - 1090-8471
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6564(200024)10:1<3::aid-hfm1>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - usability , quality (philosophy) , product (mathematics) , vendor , computer science , risk analysis (engineering) , process management , human–computer interaction , engineering , business , marketing , philosophy , geometry , mathematics , epistemology
Quality is “fit for purpose” and not a feature inherent to an entity. For products designed for interactive use, the concept of usability has expanded the term quality in consideration of ergonomic features. The user perceived quality (UPQ) of products represents one face of quality, the other face being the objective quality. Designing a product in consideration of UPQ requires the translation of user centered criteria into product related. In determining UPQ, various reasons may exist for not being able to fully recognize users' needs. In addition, the vendor may fail in materializing recognized needs of users. The “Survival Path Model for Undocumented Features” demonstrates that causes of failure introduced during the planning phase of a product can survive all phases of the life cycle and become efficient with the help of latent failures. These reasons suggest that installing a report system that conveys relevant information from the practice can be beneficial. This article discusses the outcome of a successful simulation of a report system and its contribution to the product quality of a well‐designed printing unit. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.