Test engineers are under enormous pressure to ensure all of the technologies work to spec and “play nicely” together. Yet with an ever-expanding list of use cases to consider, as well as budget, equipment and human resource shortfalls, many struggle to get quality products to market rapidly.

1. LEaRn HOw NEw DEvIcEs
ARe CHaNgInG ThE TEsT LAnDsCaPe
TOP 5 CHALLENGES
FORTESTING
TODAY’S CONSUMER
ELECTRONICS

2. TESTING MORE TECHNOLOGY
IN LESSTIME1. Mostconsumerdevicesusedtohavejustafew
functions.Today,feature-richproductsarethe
normandproductdesignersareconstantlyadding
morecapabilitiestosmartphones,carinfotainment
systemsandotherdevices.Thatmeansmore
functionality,connectivity,software,
andsecurityfeaturestovalidate.
Testengineersareunderenormouspressureto
ensureallofthetechnologiesworktospecand
“playnicely”together.Yetwithanever-expanding
listofusecasestoconsider,aswellasbudget,
equipmentandhumanresourceshortfalls,many
struggletogetqualityproductstomarketrapidly.
Top 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna* “The Next Big OS War Is in Your Dashboard,” Wired
TEsT ThIs! A cAr
CoNsOlE CaN
HaVe mOrE ThAn
100-MiLlIoN LiNeS
Of cOde.*

3. 1
One example of a common test dilemma
is the fact that many of the legacy hardware
instruments simply do not have the integrated
signal processing or IP* necessary to properly
test all the different RF standards being
integrated into popular consumer devices.
Consequently, the testers have to buy and
integrate expensive new instruments, build
additional test stations, or develop RF signal
or IP toolkits, adding considerable complexity
and costs to their projects, often leading to
longer test times and slower production
throughput.
TESTING MORE TECHNOLOGY
IN LESS TIMETop 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna
* Intellectual property.
“ Today, your cellphone has more computer
power than all of NASA back in 1969, when
it placed two astronauts on the moon ...
The Sony PlayStation of today, which costs
$300, has the power of a military
supercomputer of 1997, which cost millions
of dollars.”
– Michio Kaku, Physics of the Future:
How Science Will Shape Human Destiny
and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100

4. BATTERY AND POWER
MANAGEMENT ISSUES2.Byequippingeventhesmallestwearableand
portabledeviceswithamultitudeofpower-hungry
featuressuchasGPS,sensors,video,phoneand
camera,productdesignershaveplacedan
enormousstrainondevicebatteries.Notonlydo
theyneedtobeeversmaller,theyneedtobeever
morepowerful.
It’snotsurprising,then,thatdesignersare
scramblingtofindalternativestotraditional
batteriesandbetterwaystostoreandmanage
devicepower.Thisdilemmaiscompoundedbythe
factthatconsumerstendtobeunforgivingwhen
theirlatestgadgetdiesovernightorworse–runs
outofpowerwhileinuse.
BAtTeRy iSsUeS
MaKe mE FeEl
UnEmPoWeRed!
Top 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna

5. All this turmoil in the widening
consumer electronics market has
impacted the test industry. New
micro-batteries and innovative power
sources are challenging engineers to
find the most effective ways to test
capacity, drain rate, rechargeability,
cycle life and other parameters to
ensure robust batteries for their devices.
Some new wearable devices are even
powered by body heat, which leads to
interesting issues with testing thermo-
electric technology. For example, how
can you easily emulate body heat,
movements, and constantly changing
environments of typical users (e.g.,
under hot sun, in air-conditioned cars,
outdoors in winter)?
BATTERY AND POWER
MANAGEMENT ISSUES 2Top 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna

6. USER EXPERIENCE-CENTERED
PRODUCT DESIGNS3.
AsOEMscreateandmarketthenextbigconsumer
products,users’needsandbehaviorareparamount.
Insteadofdesigningelectronicproductsfromcircuit
boardsandtechnicalfunctionsouttouserinterfaces,
theemergingstrategyistodesignproductsaccording
toexpecteduserbehaviorandexperience(UX).
Thisshifthasputquiteastrainonsometest
organizations.Devicesnowhavedozensoffeatures,
useroptionsandinputmethodstotest,including
deviceposition,hand/fingermovements,pressure,
voicecommands,andsensorinputs.Muchtest
infrastructureneedstoberefactoredtocoverthese
endlesspossibilities.
I wAnT A GaDgEtThAt fItS AndEnHaNcEs mYLiFeStYle.
Top 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna

7. 3
Whilepersonalizedproductsarethedreamfor
consumers,theircomplexityhasspelledmajor
issuesforsomethird-partyplayersneartheend
oftheproductlifecycle.Sincemanyofthese
devicesareinhighdemandandfeature-rich,
theyretainconsiderablevalueevenwhen
damagedandreturnedtothevendor.
Manycompaniesthatdoreturns-screening/
reverselogistics(3PLs)arescramblingto
implementtheinstruments,diagnostics,and
fixturesnecessarytosupporteachnewversion
oftheseproducts.Complicatingtheireffortsare
sizeableamountsofembeddedIP–IPthatmost
vendorscan’torwon’tsharewiththirdparties.
USER EXPERIENCE-CENTERED
PRODUCT DESIGNSTop 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna

8. WEARABLE HEALTH
AND PERSONAL DEVICES4.Appropriately,thelatesthotproductsareonesthat
canactuallytakeyourtemperature,andawholelot
more.Theycanrecordheartrates,helpmaintain
healthandfitnessgoals,supportsmartaccessories,
andsharedata.Forexample:
• Medical:Blood-pressure,oxygen,andglucose
monitors,hearingaids,armbands
• Fitness:Activityandemotionalmonitors,
pedometers,sleepsensors,smartwatches
• Work/lifestyle:Head-updisplays,hand-worn
terminals,smartglassesandclothing*
Yetbecauseoftheiradvancedtechnologyandthe
crucialdatatheyprocess,theremayberegulatory
compliance(e.g.,FDA,FCC,EC)andotherissues,
lengtheningtestandlaunchcycles.
*See “Wearable Electronics Market: Global Industry Analysis
and Forecast to 2020,” Persistence Market Research Top 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna
nFC
ZIgBEe
BLuEtOoTh
WiFI
lTE
RAdIo
gPS

9. SAMPLE WEARABLE FEATURES
& FUNCTIONS TO TEST
Lifestyle/Fitness/Behavior
• Ambient,skin,andheart-ratesensors
• Pedometersandthermometers
• Gestures,armorbodymotions
Communication/Connectivity
• Phone,microphone,andaudio
• Bluetooth,ZigBee,WiFi,GPS
• Web,email,texting,socialmedia
Usability/Security
• ScreenbrightnessandUVsensors
• Gyroscopesandpositionsensors
• Userlog-ins,interfaces,andsecurity
PhysicalComponents/Inputs
• Case,screen,batterydurability
• Swipes,taps,pressure
4WEARABLE HEALTH
AND PERSONAL DEVICESTop 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna
BOdY SeNsOrS
ThErMoMeTeR
MiCrOpHoNe
WiFI
uV sEnSoR
GYrOsCoPe
ScReEn
BaTtEry

10. LIGHTER
AND TOUGHER
COMPONENTS5.Relatedtomanyoftheothertoptrendsin
consumerelectronicsistheriseindurability
testing.Notsolongago,manymass-market
electronicsproductsweredisposable,meaning
thatitwasmorecost-effectivetoprovidethe
consumerwithanewunitthantotrytorepair
adefectiveone.
Thatmeantthatproductswerenotnecessarily
designedtoberobustorsubjectedtoawiderange
of(mis)use,accidents,environmentalconditions,
etc.Ifconsumersbrokeacellphoneorotherdevice,
theycouldjustgetareplacement.Besides,abetter
modelwasprobablyalreadyonthemarket.
WIlL It sTiLlWoRk iF IDrOp iT Or iTGeTs wEt?
Top 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna

11. 5LIGHTER AND TOUGHER
COMPONENTS
Today,givenincreasingdevicecost,complexity
andfunction,manyoftheseattitudesand
habitsarefallingbythewayside.Consumers
dependontheirdeviceslikeneverbefore
andexpectthemtofunctionunderalmost
allconditions,whileprotectingtheircrucial
personalandworkdata.
Thatmeansthatifamuch-loveddevicefails
orthescreencracks,usersareturningto
after-marketsuppliersforaccessoriesand
fixes–orcomplainingonlineiftheproblem
can’tberesolved.OEMsarethusinvesting
moreindurabilitytestingtomaketheirdevices
tougher,whichisgoodnewsforboth
consumersandbrands.
Top 5 Challenges for Testing Today’s Consumer Electronics / Averna

12. WHETHERYOU’RE
APRODUCTDESIGNER,
ENGINEEROR
TECHNICIAN,LEARN
MOREABOUTTEST
BESTPRACTICES
FROMOUREXPERTS_
WHATWORKS,
WHATDOESN’T
ANDWHAT
THETRENDSARE.
JUsT Don’T TeLl oUr
“TeSt-y” cEO – hE ThInKs
We’Re cRaZy gIvInG AwAy
KnOw-HoW LiKe tHis.
THIS GUY IS SO DEDICATED TO HELPING OUR CLIENTS PRODUCE THE BEST
PRODUCTS THAT HE RARELY EMERGES FROM OUR LAB AND VACATIONS IN A
THERMAL CHAMBER. ALONE. OUR CEO HAS NEVER MET HIM AND
HE’S JUST A RUMOR IN THE HR DEPARTMENT. STILL, HIS EFFORTS HAVE
LED TO MANY TECHNICAL AND PRODUCTIVITY BREAKTHROUGHS, IF
NOT A LITTLE FROSTBITE.
tO bRiNG yOU tHiS eBoOK, wE tApPeD tHE bRaIN oF oNE oF
oUR mOsT sAvVY cOnSuMeR eLeCtRoNiCS tEsT eXpErTs.
cHeCK oUT oUr eBOoKs
On TEsT AUtOmAtIon,
BUiLd-To-PRiNt, rF,
mEdIcAL dEvIcES
AnD MoRe!
04/2015
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