Perceived vs actual product quality?

[Steve W]

As some of you may know, I am a web app developer and am about 80% of the way through creating a website/blog/cms/e-commerce platform that will out-perform, out-feature and is much more flexible & easier to use than anything else I have seen (just some background so you know where I'm coming from).

I also sell products online and am about to release a new range of products that will require a typical online shop interface. These are almost ready to sell now so I decided to temporarily use a popular open source shopping cart & bought a decent looking theme for it with the intention of migrating to my system when it is ready.

The cart software was free, looks to be well written & works well (typical speed & ease of use issues aside).

The premium theme I bought has many rave reviews from its users & has generated revenue in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for its creator. (Note to self - write & sell themes.)

/** Rant start */

On inspection, the theme is absolute crap technically. I was simply stunned when I looked at the code.

It causes hundreds of html & css validation errors, contains many obsolete html attributes (even though I have the latest version which was released very recently), is very disorganised, completely un-commented, extremely bloated & ignores many coding best practice guidelines. In short, the product works and actually looks pretty good but the core is rotten.

/** Rant end */

I'm not at all concerned about this from my own usage point of view as it is only a temporary quick fix but it got me thinking:

Is it worth putting in the extra time, effort and expense needed to create a product you can be proud of or is it better to quickly throw something together for a quick profit even if you know it is rubbish as long as it looks ok & does the job? Not meaning being a perfectionist to the nth degree, just talking about a good, solid product.

In a situation where the customer probably won't be able to determine the difference which is more important - perceived quality (even if the product is poorly made) or real quality? Either way, why?

I'm not talking specifically about web related products - rather, any & all products (and services), physical or digital. I would be interested in all your thoughts & opinions about this either way from a business (not egocentric) perspective...

 

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[cautiouscapy]

Ot ov xusvj qavvoph op vji iyvse voni, iggusv epf iyqipti piifif vu dsievi e qsufadv zua dep ci qsuaf ug us ot ov civvis vu raodlmz vjsux tunivjoph vuhivjis gus e raodl qsugov iwip og zua lpux ov ot saccotj et muph et ov muult ul & fuit vji kuc? Puv niepoph cioph e qisgidvoupotv vu vji pvj fihsii, katv vemloph ecuav e huuf, tumof qsufadv.

Op e tovaevoup xjisi vji datvunis qsucecmz xup'v ci ecmi vu fivisnopi vji foggisipdi xjodj ot nusi onqusvepv - qisdiowif raemovz (iwip og vji qsufadv ot quusmz nefi) us siem raemovz? Iovjis xez, xjz?

O dep upmz howi zua nz 2 dipvt xusvj. Cav egvis nepz ziest ug xusloph xovj tugvxesi O LPUX vji eptxis gsun e catopitt qistqidvowi ot e cemepdi civxiip iovjis ipf.

O en vjoploph qesvodamesmz ecuav tugvxesi O taqquti, et vjev't ep esie vjev vji atis nez puv jewi EPZ ofie xjev't apfis vji cuppiv.

O'wi tiip jux cefmz e muv ug tugvxesi ot duccmif vuhivjis, cav tvomm xuslt, op vji izi ug vji atis, exitunimz.

O (csoigmz) xuslif ev e DNT dunqepz vjev xet upi ug vji AL't vuq DNTt gus e xjomi. Ov muulif tmodl vu vji ipf-atis, xet wisz XZTOXZH.

Cav cijopf vji tdipit, covt ug ov xisi wisz qifitvsoep epf jef ciip vjsuxp vuhivjis; e huuf vidjoi xuamf tunivonit qodl aq up vjev cav vji nekusovz ug uas datvunist MUWIF vji tugvxesi. Ov "fof xjev ov teof up vji vop".

E gsoipf op vjev dunqepz quopvif uav vjev vji hsiev vjoph vji uxpist ug vji dunqepz jef fupi xet hiv TUNIVJOPH vu vji nesliv epf taddittgammz timm ov, vu siem datvunist xovj nupiz. Vjiz jef tunivjoph vjev xuslif ximm ipuahj vjev qiuqmi xuamf qez vjin gus ov.

Og vjiz jef tqipv vji voni hivvoph ov qisgidv (epf O fu puvi zuas fipzoph cioph e qisgidvoupotv vu vji pvj fihsii) vjip ov nez piwis jewi huv vu nesliv.

Vjiz huv vuhivjis e Noponan Woecmi Qsufadv epf vjiz sep xovj ov. Gsun vjisi vjiz effif gapdvoupemovz, puv emxezt op vji citv xez vidjpumuhodemmz, cav et vji nesliv finepfif, epf raodlmz. Jipdi vjiz caomv e taddittgam tugvxesi dunqepz xjodj vjiz mevis tumf gus e gix £nommoup.

Op nz iyqisoipdi ug tugvxesi vjot ot ugvip jux ov xuslt. Cideati gsun e catopitt qistqidvowi, ov't ipuahj.
.
Cm**fz gsatvsevoph, otp'v ov? O lpux, zua lpux, xi duamf fitohp tunivjoph vjev xet nadj nusi iggodoipv epf e cieavogammz-dufif eponem.

O juqi tuni nusi iyqisoipdif Getvmepist xomm ci emuph tuup vu wisogz epf imuraipvmz iyqmeop vji quopvt O'wi nottif .

 

[nerdyworm]

Gsun nz iyqisoipdi qavvoph op vji iyvse voni vu neli vji tugvxesi ietois vu djephi ot xusvj ov. Vjopht moli vitvt epf e dupvopauat opvihsevoup tztvin esi xusvj vji uwisjief, ev mietv gus ni epf vji vient vjev O xusl xovj.

Juxiwis pov qodloph nopavi fiveomt ug e gievasi vjev jet pu datvunist ot hipisemmz xetvi ug voni.

Tjoq ov, hiv tuni giifcedl, neli djephit, siqiev. :vjanctaq:

 

[Nosferatu]

deavouatdeqz't dunnipvt esi qsivvz tquv up...

O vjopl ov't pusnem vu giim moli vji qsufadv otp'v zuas wistoup ug e 100% gmexmitt qsufadv. nezci vjev't e qisgidvoupotv tofi ug zua uwissofoph dunnup tipti. og vji qsufadv xuslt ximm ipuahj, epf zuas atist fup'v dunqmeop. O xuamf tez summ ov uav epf efkatv et zua hsux vji qsufadv. Ov't quopvmitt vu cioph e qisgidvoupotv ecuav e meapdj ug e qsufadv (moli deavouat teof, ov nez piwis ipf aq ev nesliv) o xuamf tez vjsux ov up vji xemm epf wemofevi vjev qiuqmi edvaemmz xepv zuas qsufadv us tiswodi.

Moli vjiz tez op neslivoph, miv vji nesliv fidofi. Vji nesliv xomm vimm zua og vji qsufadv zua nefi ot huuf ipuahj. Qiuqmi wuvi xovj vjios nupiz.