Understanding the difference between Design Quality and Process Quality Sometimes there may be a poor decision made in the Design phase of product development. Perhaps the testing was not thorough enough, or a decision was made without fully considering the long-term impact. This may affect the performance or reliability or durability of the product. Consider the Galaxy Note 7 that was launched in August 2016 and recalled that September due to overheating and catching fire. Problems involved the battery having insufficient insulation material as well as a design that did not provide enough room to safely accommodate the batteries' electrodes. The recall is estimated to have cost 5.3 billion dollars and heavily damaged Samsung's reputation. (BBC Business 23 Jan 2017) Process Quality is different. If there is a problem with the process quality, it means that the company made errors during the manufacturing process. This may have been due to a machine malfunctioning, a software error, or employee error. The product design may have been great, but the process failed to deliver. DB Question: You or a family member may have purchased a product that you were not satisfied with due to Quality concerns. Think about this problem. Do you think it was a Design Quality issue or Process Quality? Share your experience with classmates on the Discussion Board.