Keys to Quality -...

Keys to Quality: The Relevance of Reliability M

Contents1 Reliable Technology Makes a Difference4 The Keys to Quality

7 Quality Counts: A Look Inside16 Get Reliable, Get Happy

Reliable Techology Makes a Difference 1

9:00 a.m.As Sue sits in the airport waiting for her fl ight to Chicago, she pulls out her cell phone to make a quick call. Just as the phone starts to ring, an unruly child slams into her suitcase, knocking her leg and bumping the phone out of her hand. Sue fumbles for the phone, but it drops onto the fl oor, breaking into countless pieces. Shocked by how easily the phone shatters, she frantically wonders what to do next, since all her contact numbers were stored in the phone.

Reliable Techology Makes a Difference

Technology has become mainstream: Grandfathers are e-mailing grandkids; moms are using portable devices to keep track of soccer practice; professionals are tapping into work from the road. In fact, more people worldwide own both a mobile phone and a computer than own a credit card.1 People are relying on technology products — from computers and cell phones to handheld devices — for their daily activities as much as they do a car or microwave. The only difference is that when they turn the key in the ignition or reheat leftovers, they don’t even think about whether the product will work. The same isn’t always true for technology devices — but it should be.1 Vin Crosbie, DigitalDeliverance.com, Dec. 3, 2002

2 Reliable Technology Makes a Difference

Not only do most people use technology products every day, but they rely so heavily on these devices that they can barely function without them. All communication ends if their cell phone breaks. All computing stops if their keyboard stops working. Many offices will close if their server is down.

2 InsightExpress, January 2005 (commissioned by Microsoft)

Did you know?A recent survey found nearly one-quarter of American employees have had to leave work because their office equipment broke down.2

Because few people have time to worry about whether their devices will work, considering a product’s reliability and quality is paramount when making purchasing decisions. Reliable devices keep consumers connected with little to no hassle. In addition, product reliability directly affects businesses’ return on investment (ROI); unreliable products mean support costs and wasted time that drain ROI, while reliable products increase productivity, which boosts ROI.

For many companies, at least some level of attention is given to quality control. It generally holds true that the more rigorous the testing, the more reliable the product. Still, most people are unaware of the reliability testing process behind product development, especially when it comes to technology.

Technology companies that place high importance on quality design test their products for reliability, compatibility and functionality. Each part of the device and the device itself are tested — in the environments in which the device will be used (e.g., in an offi ce, in a home or on the road) and for the length of time it will be used — to ensure it continues to work for a long time.

The Keys to Quality

12:57 p.m.Her heart was racing and she hadn’t had time to look in a mirror all morning, but at least Karen had fi nished the presentation in time to print it before the conference, thanks to an all-nighter at the offi ce. Two weeks of 10-hour days, fast food, and a neglected dog culminated in a presentation due in three minutes. And then it happened. “Printer error 113. Lift console and press Help.” 12:59 p.m. and the clients were waiting in the conference room.

4 The Keys to Quality

What Is Quality? Quality is . . .3

• Based on customers’ perceptions of a product’s design and how well the design matches the original specifi cations.

• The ability of a product or service to satisfy stated or implied needs. • Achieved by conforming to established requirements within an organization.

3 American Society for Quality, 2004

8:34 p.m.“I’ve already written this twice!” Sitting frustrated at the computer in his bedroom, Mark began to rewrite a message to his parents back home. They’d been clamoring for a week to see pictures of their new grandson, and Mark had fi nally found time to send an e-mail with hospital photos. As the keyboard froze yet again, Mark lowered his head into his hands and caught a glimpse of his favorite plastic Knicks cup, which he’d knocked over a few days earlier, spilling water all over his desktop. As he typed, “I’ve already written this three times,” his love for the cup began to fade.

Quality Counts: A Look Inside

When people buy a product — whether it’s a cell phone, remote or mouse — they expect it to work, and to work for a long time. Microsoft Corp. recognizes this expectation and works hard to deliver high-quality hardware products that work in any imaginable scenario for as long as necessary. The company employs a unique approach to reliability testing, based on industry standards as well as its own proprietary criteria, which are devoted to and modeled on customer experiences. This approach ensures that customers can take comfort in Microsoft quality for better ways to access information and entertainment, at home, in the offi ce and on the go.

Quality Counts: A Look Inside 7

More than 10 years ago the Microsoft Hardware group hired its first testing engineer. Since then, the reliability engineering group has been responsible for analyzing reliability-related issues as well as driving design verification and product qualification. The team has a strong engineering background and industry experience; its core members have post-graduate degrees in the areas of reliability and electronic packaging.

Did you know?A recent survey found that more than 80 percent of people polled think their mouse and keyboard are important factors in their ability to be productive at work or home.4 In the same survey, among four companies that develop peripheral devices, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they associate Microsoft® products with reliability and quality.

8 Quality Counts: A Look Inside

4 InsightExpress, January 2005 (commissioned by Microsoft)

“ At the core of most every buying decision, people expect their devices to do one thing: work. We continually look for ways to exceed that expectation, often creating new tests to ensure our products work in any environment, under any stress, for as long as they are needed.”

Pavan Davuluri,Reliability and Component Lead, Microsoft Hardware

Microsoft Hardware implements a holistic approach to product reliability testing. Unlike some other peripheral manufacturers, at Microsoft test engineers are part of product development from the beginning of the process, rather than just at the end. Their goal is to design quality and robustness into the products they build. They plan and manage mechanical and environmental tests for all product parts and the overall product to verify that the design is solid and mechanisms are durable.


FIEL

D >> DESIGN >>

AN

ALYSIS >>TEST >>

In addition to standard physical lab tests, the Microsoft Hardware reliability engineers use advanced computer-aided engineering (CAE) simulation to perform virtual tests and understand product performance in specifi c user scenarios even before product prototypes are available. During the early design phase, using the computer simulation tool, they can identify design weaknesses and make corrections before a model is even created. This early testing enables designers to create better products in less time.

Initial product prototype/design

Risk analyses

Numerical analysisof design

Modifi cations to design

Product development Product testing

Identify design/application inadequacies

Reliability Engineering in Microsoft Hardware Development

Finished product

Customer feedback


The near-final products are subjected to 24 tests that impose excessive physical, chemical, mechanical and other environmental stresses, including temperature, humidity, chemical, mechanical wear, vibration and shock.

Did you know?The Industrial Age was easing into its second century when a young engineer named Walter A. Shewhart altered the course of industrial history. Shewhart successfully brought together the disciplines of statistics, engineering and economics, and became known as the father of modern quality control.5

The Microsoft Hardware group puts each of its mice and keyboards through rigorous reliability testing in labs and at many production facilities worldwide to help ensure the products can withstand years of everyday use. Using principles of accelerated testing and wear throughout a couple of weeks of testing, the group can establish long-term durability. Microsoft Hardware lab-approved products follow the lab’s Keys to Quality, to help ensure products are reliable and durable.


5 American Society for Quality, “Walter A. Shewhart,” (http://www.asq.org/join/about/history/shewhart.html)

Keys to QualityMicrosoft pays close attention to customer tests that show how products are used, where they are used and how often they are used. For example, Microsoft’s mice and keyboards are rigorously tested to ensure reliability in some of the harshest conditions: those found in the modern home and office building.

Included in the process are the following:

1 Type Test Each keyboard product is required to pass millions of cycles of key pressing — more typing than any person does in a lifetime — while maintaining superior performance.

2 Button Test Every mouse must withstand millions of cycles of button actuations and hundreds of thousands of scroll-wheel rotations.

3 Drop Test Keyboards are dropped up to 10 times from nearly three feet; mice are dropped from more than three feet onto quarter-inch carpet covering steel and concrete.

4 Track Test During unique wear trials, mice are “run” between 85 and 215 miles to test performance. That distance is comparable to traveling from London to Paris.

5 Touch Test The durability of mice and keyboards is tested in multiple scenarios simulating contact with common chemicals including hand lotion and sweat.

6 Temperature-humidity Tests The mice and keyboards are tested to withstand a range of temperature and humidity levels — from the tropical summers of Southern China to the dry winters of Minnesota.

1. Optical Desktop with Fingerprint Reader 2. Wireless IntelliMouse® Explorer 3. Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 4. Wireless Optical Mouse 5. Fingerprint Reader 6. Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer with Fingerprint Reader receiver


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Function Meets PerformanceWhen a Microsoft mouse passes the tough challenges the lab technicians put it through, a completed product emerges and a host of functional performance tests remain. These tests confirm that all aspects of the mouse involving actuation, the optical tracking engine and the electrical circuitry are performing to the specifications the product was built on:

1 Electrical tests for consistent connectivity

2 Mechanical tests so the buttons and scroll wheel work reliably

3 Optical tests so sensors in the mouse’s tracking system perform to standard

Microsoft designs and tests its own optical chips. A first in the industry when unveiled by Microsoft in 1999, Microsoft Optical Technology has continually exceeded reliability lab tests.

Since its debut, the tracking technology has become a standard on the desktop, due in part to the increased reliability it offers and benefits such as these:

• Increased speed and accuracy • No mouse ball to clean • Consistent performance • Durability • Ability to work on almost any surface

“Optical technology is clearly more sensitive and responsive than the old roller ball formerly used for mouse tracking,” said Roger Kay, vice president of client computing at IDC. “Optical mice have all but taken over the aftermarket for input devices because they are accurate, durable and affordable.”

1. Wireless Optical Mouse 2. Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer 3. IntelliMouse Optical

4:30 p.m. Lisa began by giving her new boss a tour of the offi ce. Bob seemed pleased with the company and its team — yet somewhat reluctant to start working. She wondered if he found their offi ce less glamorous than that of his former company in New York. They stopped by her desk, and he quickly pointed out her wireless Microsoft mouse and keyboard. “Wow! Guess they keep you in the latest stuff here. I’ve been cleaning the same mouse ball since I can remember.” Lisa smiled proudly at her desktop and replied, “Our company just upgraded our old roller ball mice to new optical ones from Microsoft. The difference is amazing — and apparently these will keep working and working. So no excuses around here.” Lisa wasn’t sure, but suddenly Bob seemed more excited to get to his desk.

Get Reliable, Get Happy

The tests mentioned above are just a few in the series of stringent tests that Microsoft mice and keyboards undergo to earn a Microsoft Hardware lab-approved seal before hitting store shelves. The quality of Microsoft mice and keyboards also have been recognized by Good Housekeeping, which granted its seal to Microsoft’s line of mouse and keyboard products in 2003 and 2004. In addition, Microsoft products have passed extensive reliability testing to gain accolades in publications such as PC Magazine and LAPTOP.

16 Get Reliable, Get Happy

See mouse and keyboard manuals for use and warranty information.

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© 2005 Microsoft Corp. All rights reserved. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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