Value and Quality

Two related perspectives from which to judge the goodness of a product are value and quality—actually it would be more accurate to refer to perceived value and quality. These perceptions happen very quickly, apparently faster than previously thought; even faster than purported by Malcolm Gladwell in his recent book, Blink.

For instance, in a recent study, Gitte Lindgaard of Carleton University in Ottawa found that first impressions of a visual stimulus are made in the first 50 milliseconds of viewing (see Nature: Web users judge sites in the blink of an eye)

Value

What has come to be known as the Fitch perspective (Fitch is a very successful Industrial Design firm), a valuable product is one that a customer will buy or a user will adopt. The Fitch model states that valuable products possess three critical attributes:

• Usefulness: Do people perceive it as having a useful purpose?
• Usability: Is it relatively easy to learn and use?
• Desirability: Is the product appealing enough on an emotional level for people to go to the trouble to buy/adopt?

Quality

Quality is another way of looking at goodness. The product marketing thought leader, Noriaki Kano1, says that products have three components of quality:

• Basic Quality: "Must-have" requirements that the customer expects in the product (e.g. the car starts every time)
• Linear Quality: Product attributes that customers can identify they want more or less of, such as good gas mileage, easy to use, etc.
• Attractive Quality: Surprises, delighters, exciters. Unexpected attributes that distinguish the product from its competitors, such as novelty, beauty, pleasant sound, “Wow!” factor, “coolness”