We have good requirements for the reliability of our design. We also have a preliminary design with ideas of how we're going to manufacture it. Is our design idea good enough? Are there things we should do to improve its performance and reliability?For a physical product, there are three general stages in its life cycle. In many cases the failure rates of physical products can be represented by a reliability bathtub curve. This curve is really a plot of a hazard rate function, also known as a failure rate function. We talk about data collection in the early design phase, what types of failures are typical for each phase, and design decisions we may make to improve our reliability, based on the failure rate function we plot for our system.Visit the podcast blog for graphics and transcripts.Support the show**FREE RESOURCES**Quality during Design engineering and new product development is actionable. It's also a mindset. Subscribe for consistency, inspiration, and ideas at www.qualityduringdesign.com. About meDianna Deeney helps product designers work with their cross-functional team to reduce concept design time and increase product success, using quality and reliability methods. She consults with businesses to incorporate quality within their product development processes. She also coaches individuals in using Quality during Design for their projects.She founded Quality during Design through her company Deeney Enterprises, LLC. Her vision is a world of products that are easy to use, dependable, and safe – possible by using Quality during Design engineering and product development.