Designing a system which lacks the quality can be disastrous. This can lead to closure of design houses as their reputation is impacted. Whatever may be the expertise of the designers, if the designed product is not of quality, then that product doesn't sell. For example, take the case of a headset, if the headset has noise cancellation algorithms implemented and provides a clear voice, then that headset is always preferred compared to a headset which doesn't filter the noise properly. In this discussion, let us try to list some of the factors which determine the quality of the design. While of the design aspects can be generalized, most of the aspects are design dependent.
- Type of components used in the design
- Having best characteristics - Electrical, Environmental
- Life time
- Components used must be stored properly in inventory
- Derating analysis is performed or not
- Design considerations from the component manufacturer are followed or not. While it is good to follow, it is the designer who has to decide which ones are applicable to the design
- Proper manufacturing and assembly process followed
- Failure modes are predicted well in advance and taken care of in the design
- Comprehensive validation on the product and not just high level testing
- Coding done as per the guidelines and static code analysis performed
- Product underwent EMI/EMC and passed with decent margin
- Enclosure underwent all the stress related tests and is stubborn enough to be used for the product
Quality vs Cost is a huge trade-off a designer has to consider and design his products. While ease of access of the product is not a quality factor, it is also very important for user satisfaction.
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