Criteria dimensioning: not thought through

We have all experienced it: “product tests” or comparisons fall short and are of only limited use. They overlook or ignore too much; authors reduce things to (just) something like price/performance or recommendations that lack context. What matters to me is not mentioned.

Almost every one of us can contribute to making content more complete and therefore more useful; on a small and a large scale. Specifically: whenever I talk about something, I should (must!) talk in many dimensions and shades. What is important? And why/how/in what way? When in doubt: try it out seriously and from many perspectives, otherwise important points often do not occur to me. Examples:

• When, for electric kettles, I read only about heat-up time and power draw, but not also about the actual, measured energy required to heat a quantity of water y to a temperature x under given conditions.
• When, for hybrid vehicles (combustion engine and electric motor), nobody talks about how large the tank volume is and how long charging realistically takes in practice.
• When, for washing machines, alongside all the technical fanfare, nothing anywhere addresses how much the wash treatment degrades my laundry.
• When sustainability is mentioned, but only the manufacturing, the product, and a certain amount of use are tracked, and not the entire value chain from development and sourcing to recycling and disposal.
• When, for solar panels, the maximum output is highlighted, but not also the typical yield at large angles of incidence, at early/late times of day with little light, or under other influencing factors.

As a guide, ask yourselves: where does which energy flow, for how long, in what unit, where to, and to what benefit for you/us/the cause? That can be, for example, electrical, mechanical/kinetic, or monetary, but also emotion or life energy. Or something I am overlooking right now. What remains that requires attention? What systemic interactions exist?

I know, this goes deep. Perhaps now and then it will not lead to different decisions. Thinking further and more consciously may become a routine. Because the result of unconscious shortsightedness is quickly that—speaking purely in business terms—a brand loses trust because it misses the criteria that matter to customers. It’s for the customer, stupid.

#facts #testreport #comparisontest #specs #brand #awareness #dimensioning