A Framework for Non-Nominal Visualization and Perceived Quality Evaluation

Perceived Quality clusters different aspects that influence the customer’s perception of non-functional quality on a product that are perceive through senses. All together those aspects and the harmony between them reflect the producer’s ability to control product parameters and thereby also mirror the functional quality of the product. High Perceived Quality cannot be added to the product at the end of the developing process. Project prerequisites, system solution, factory capability etc. are criterion to succeed. Therefore, it is important to be able to evaluate Perceived Quality early in the process when product system solutions and architecture are defined, although data maturity is low. This paper presents a comprehensive framework to manage and support evaluation of Perceived Quality aspects in a product development process. The framework is based on an industrial process in combination with recent research within the field. The framework focuses on activities that can be performed at different stages in the developing process based on maturity of the CAD or styling data. For example, if the styling data is divided into different components by split-lines it has reached higher level of maturity then styling data that not has been divided. Consequently, the choice of applied method is based on data maturity, regardless phase in the developing process. The framework contains methods based on several different simulation and analysis techniques. Design methods, Computer-Aided Tolerancing and FEA based non-rigid variation simulation are represented in the framework.