Good products, bad products: essential elements to achieving superior quality

Abstract

1. Products and quality: what is the situation?: -- Future trends: population growth and 'taste' -- An example of quality improvement -- Beyond manufacturing quality -- Global competition -- onward. Includes bibliographical references and index. -- 2. Problems in increasing product quality: narrow-mindedness and attitudes: -- Thinking, problem solving, and quality -- Tradition runs deep -- Flaws in economic theory -- The changing nature of design -- Increasing creativity and innovation -- 3. Performance, cost, and price: is it a good deal?: -- Quantifying performance -- The complexity of cost and price -- The balancing act between performance and cost -- Why are there problems? -- 4. Human fit: does the product fit people?: -- Physical fit -- Sensory fit -- Cognitive fit -- Complexity -- Safety and health -- 5. Craftsmanship: joy to the maker, joy to the user: -- Why do we care about craftsmanship? -- The pleasure and pride of craft -- The industry and culture problem -- The nature of craftsmanship -- Some suggestions -- 6. Products, Emotions, and Needs: Love, Hate, or Blah?: -- How Emotions Play a Role -- The Complexity of Human Emotions -- Diversity in Emotional Responses -- The Mechanisms of Emotion -- Human Needs -- Needs and Emotions -- Need Finding -- 7. Aesthetics, Elegance, and Sophistication: Wisdom Through Experience: -- Aesthetics and Industrial Products -- A Bit of Background on Industrial Design -- Elegance and Sophistication -- Product Form and Function -- Some Concerns on Today's Aesthetics -- 8. Symbolism and Cultural Values: Who Are We?: -- Products, Symbolism, and Cultures -- Products and National Cultures -- Products and Subcultures -- Globalism and Cultures -- 9. Global Constraints: Does the Product Fit a Finite Earth and its Inhabitants?: -- Big Problems -- The Role of Industrially Produced Products -- Why These Problems? -- Response to Change -- Revolutionary Approaches -- The Iceberg -- Regulations and Laws -- Now what? -- 10. Conclusion: What Have We Learned? Where Do We Go? -- Discussion of all the elements that go into producing superior products. Maximize your product's performance and minimize the cost - appeal to your customer's emotions with elegance and sophistications - make sure your product is a perfect fit that's human, cultural, and global. -- Suitable for managers, designers, manufacturers, engineers, and marketers, this title looks at the elusive qualities that can make or break a product's success. It helps you to maximize your product's performance - and minimize the cost; appeal to your customer's emotions - with elegance and sophistication; and, more.