Japanese quality
"Japanese Quality" concisely describes two kinds of quality: atarimae hinshitsu and miryokuteki hinshitsu.
- atarimae hinshitsu （当たり前品質） - The idea that things will work as they are supposed to (e.g. a pen will write). The functional requirement actually. For example a wall or flooring in a house have functional parts in the house as a product; when the functionality is met, the "atarimae" quality requirement is met.
- miryokuteki hinshitsu （魅力的品質）- The idea that things should have an aesthetic quality which is different from "atarimae hinshitsu" (e.g. a pen will write in a way that is pleasing to the writer, and leave behind ink that is pleasing to the reader). The floor and wall example can be expanded to include the color, texture, shine, polish, etc., which are the "miryokuteki" aspects. Such aspects comprise a very important part of the quality, and add value to the product.
In the design of goods or services, atarimae hinshitsu and miryokuteki hinshitsu together ensure that a creation will both work to customers' expectations and also be desirable to have.