Assessing product quality based largely on human judgment and perception is trouble waiting to happen. This manual approach comes with a range of challenges that can impact production efficiency, consistency, and your company’s overall reputation.

Here are some key disadvantages of subjective quality testing for manufacturers:

• Inconsistency: Subjective testing is highly dependent on the opinions and experiences of individual testers. This can lead to significant variations in quality assessments from one tester to another, making it difficult to establish a consistent quality standard. Inconsistent quality can result in customer dissatisfaction and damage a brand’s reputation.
• Lack of Objectivity: Subjective testing lacks the objectivity and precision of quantitative methods. There is often no clear way to measure or quantify the quality of a product, making it challenging to make data-driven decisions for process improvement.
• Bias and Human Error: Human judgment is susceptible to bias and errors. Testers may unconsciously favor certain product characteristics or overlook defects, leading to inaccurate assessments. These biases can lead to subpar products entering the market.
• Time-Consuming: Subjective quality testing can be time-consuming, as it requires human testers to evaluate each product individually. This approach can slow down production processes, leading to increased manufacturing costs and longer lead times.
• Training and Skill Variation: The proficiency and training of testers can vary, leading to differences in their ability to identify quality issues. Manufacturers must invest in ongoing training and certification to ensure consistent and accurate testing.
• Subjective Feedback Loops: Subjective feedback from testing may lack actionable insights for improving product quality. Manufacturers may struggle to identify specific areas that require improvement without concrete, quantifiable data.
• Difficulty in Root Cause Analysis: When defects are identified through subjective testing, it can be challenging to determine the root causes. This hampers the manufacturer’s ability to implement corrective actions effectively.
• Costly Rework: In cases where defects are discovered post-production through subjective testing, manufacturers often incur substantial costs for rework or product recalls.

To mitigate these disadvantages, manufacturers are turning to objective, quantitative methods, physics-based inspections. This approach removes inconsistencies associated with human judgment while advancing data-driven decision-making. This ultimately improves product quality and minimizes the negative impacts of subjective testing.

Contact us here to learn how Signalysis can remove subjectivity and help you meet your highest quality standards.