A company that means to make a name for itself in electronics, whether consumer or industrial, is under more pressure to perform today than ever before. The rise of the Internet and social networking has exponentially decreased the amount of time it takes for a poorly-designed product to become known as a lemon.
Previously, a company had weeks or even months before enough poor reviews accumulated to damage their reputation. Today, it's a matter of days or hours. If someone buys a poor product, one of the first things they do is tell the world about it, literally.
The only real solution here is more work up-front to ensure the product is as good as possible. Better prototyping and testing services are the keys to seeing this happen.
Superior Prototyping And Testing Bring Superior EMS Services
1 - Robust pre-release stress testing
Electronics are treated as commodities these days, not items to be protected. A piece of electronics has to be able to stand up to the rigors of day-to-day use, and be built for users who probably will not care for it as well as they should.
To a certain extent, they need to be over-engineered for specifically that reason. Proper stress-testing in natural use simulations can point out physical weak points in the electronics themselves, and make strong recommendations as to case design to minimize these problems.
2 - Integrated software testing
If your electronics manufacturer also handles their own software, you'll be way ahead of the competition. In too many cases, the hardware design will be handled by one group, and software by another, without much communication between the two. This is a recipe for poorly-performing products.
Buyers and users are unlikely to know or care about the distinction. A poorly-performing OS will simply be blamed on the product. The ability to test the two together, and refine as needed, is necessary for a well-rounded design.
3 - Easier redesigns for multiple build sizes
A new electronics product is likely to be several products, under the same name, but with differences in size and other design elements. Very often, this isn't simply a matter of "scaling" a design up or down. It may take substantial re-engineering to properly move a board design from one size to another.
Without easy prototyping and testing, this becomes difficult or impossible to achieve. In a market where personalization is currently prized, this can create big barriers to product acceptance.
4 - More prototypes bring better results
Traditionally, prototyping has been one of the slowest parts of the electronic design processes, since a single prototype can require re-configuring an entire assembly line. However, times are changing. The top manufacturers can now create prototypes, even from scratch, in about 3-5 days.
This allows many more iterative design cycles, more chances for feedback, and a much stronger product at the end. Partnering with a company that can do fast-turnaround prototyping will help ensure that your product arrives in the best possible shape to succeed.
Quality Matters More Than Ever
A company today can't afford to gamble its name on a product that hasn't been tested, optimized, and focused to provide the best possible user experience and the highest possible reliability. Contact ZenTech today for a free consultation on how your product can be made even better.
