The Application of Quality Function Deployment to Smart Watches – The House of Quality for Improved Product Design

Abstract

Consumers are confused about the benefits of using smart watches due to the various insignificant functionalities included and the unclear value propositions promoted by smart watch manufacturers. In order to improve the quality of products and to provide features that can satisfy consumers’ needs, technicians must understand the expectations of consumers. This paper recommends the use of quality function deployment (QFD), a method that integrates consumers’ dynamic requirements with product designs, which can be represented using a House of Quality (HoQ) matrix diagram. Here, the unmet and uncovered needs of consumers relating to the smart watch are analyzed extensively using a questionnaire-based survey. The opinions of consumers and technicians are then examined, and a HoQ diagram is constructed to evaluate the relationship between the design attributes of smart watch and its technical attributes. Finally, the attributes that need to be improved are listed in a suggested order of priority.