What is a Product Evaluation?
Product evaluation is the process of assessing a product’s safety, quality, and suitability for its specific purpose. This is performed before products are released to the market and made available to target consumers. A comprehensive product evaluation typically involves analyzing data related to various aspects of the product, such as its features, design, and functionality.
Product evaluation is conducted for two main reasons: to ensure the product follows relevant standards and to identify and remove manufacturing or design defects. Failure to secure products from both manufacturing and design defects can result in product recalls and lawsuits under product liability.
What is a Product Evaluation Template?
A product evaluation template is used by manufacturers after product development to provide a standard guide in examining products, therefore ensuring accurate and uniform format of data. Using a product evaluation template can help manufacturers easily assess production line and identify defects early on before market release. As an integral tool for product management, the template entails two different areas in product evaluation which is discussed below.
5 Steps of Product Evaluation
Here are 5 key steps for an effective product evaluation:
- Define evaluation criteria – Identify key aspects to assess, such as quality, functionality, durability, safety, and user experience.
- Gather product information – Collect details like product specifications, manufacturer data, and any existing reviews or feedback.
- Conduct testing & analysis – Perform hands-on testing, inspections, or comparisons to measure performance against the defined criteria.
- Document findings – Record observations, test results, pros and cons, and any issues identified during evaluation.
- Make a final assessment – Determine if the product meets expectations, needs improvements, or should be approved/rejected.
Key Elements of a Successful Product Evaluation
Characteristics of a good product should be incorporated for a product to be successful.. It should be functional, reliable, safe and built in high-quality. Below are two areas of product evaluation that can help ensure the success of a product:
Manufacturing Procedures
The purpose of evaluating manufacturing procedures is to mitigate manufacturing defects. Manufacturing defects are caused by faults or errors during the production stage. Some of the most common errors are caused by the usage of poor-quality materials and negligence. For example, products made with cheap materials are most likely to malfunction which then places consumers at risk.
Prevent manufacturing defects by keeping a regular inspection process on manufacturing procedures. Below are inspections/audits and tools that manufacturing companies use for better implementation of manufacturing procedures and standards:
- Manufacturing Process Audit
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
- ISO 9001
- Kaizen
- 5s Audit
Design Specifications
In this area, product design is assessed to mitigate design defects. Design defects refer to cases where despite the functionality of the product its design causes risk to the consumer. A common design defect is those poorly designed mechanisms that contain toxic or dangerous substances. A good example of a design defect is the Takata airbags, which has been called “the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S history.”
Fortify product designs to be safe and easy to use by considering the following:
- Product user – A successful product design takes account of the intended user or range of user’s physical characteristics. For example, using a children’s toy as a product and toddlers as the intended user, the size of the product should fit the toddler’s physical characteristics, otherwise, it may pose choking hazards.
- Product environment – The product should go through an environmental evaluation whereas it will be evaluated under conditions it will be used in. For example, rain boots are intended for use out of doors when its raining and so it must allow users to protect their feet from getting soaked.
- Product itself – Assess if the product follows manufacturing and design standards. Is it comfortable and easy to use? Conduct product trials to see what consumers think about the product through a structured experiment or questionnaire. Provide a checklist for participants to use in product trials and for staff to assess all aspects of the product.
What to include in a Product Evaluation Template
To effectively assess a product’s suitability for its intended purpose, use a ready-to-use template that includes the following key sections
- General information – such as the product name, manufacturer, name of inspector
- Product description – brief overview and features of the product, photo available
- Evaluation criteria – section for visual, size, color, weight, material, operation, and packaging
- Overall assessment – final verdict on whether the product meets requirements and functions as intended.
Jairus Andales