Set a simple packaged product in front of you on an unobstructed surface and hold off from making any judgment of its quality right now. Pull out a pen and a blank product card. Write down everything you can confirm without guessing the quality of the product, e.g. product name, product group/category, product purpose, package type and visible condition. This small step of distinguishing what you saw from your personal impression is the basis of an effective visual product inspection. Statements such as the product is attractive, or the package is poor are meaningless unless you explain the reason for it and you add the supporting details.
Start with product identification and labeling. Copy the exact name, brand if present, net quantity, weight or volume unit, product type or material, and model number or size that can be directly seen on the product itself or its packaging. Check if the information provided is legible and if the basic consumer information seems to be complete. For packaged food or consumer goods, this may cover the product, the storage temperature and shelf life, handling directions and warnings. It is not your task to determine if all the required information is present or legally compliant; just write down what you find and what is not there.
Proceed to the packaging. Describe the packaging material and type of package, e.g. a cardboard box, a sealed plastic pouch, a glass jar, a metal can or a multi-layer bag. Check if the outer package is intact around the corners, along the seams and where closures, lids and labels are attached as well as along transparent sections. If there are any marks of damage or other flaws, write their location on the package and describe how they look. A statement like: “There is a 2-cm tear running along the side seam near the top of the package” will prove more helpful than just recording “packaging damage”. Add any notes about whether the damage to the product packaging seems to be superficial or whether the actual goods inside the package are at risk.
Write down the visible condition of the product, not of the packaging. Check if there is any visible surface damage, deformation, discoloration, contamination or construction defects such as gaps or unevenness, missing components or noticeable difference between products with the same model. A minor difference in appearance is not a defect. Wooden items, for example, will have natural differences in wood grain or color, and woven goods may have slight inconsistencies in the placement of prints or patterns. Note down what you see, then you can decide later if it is likely to affect the product’s look, usability or function or its capacity for the intended purpose.
It is all too common for a novice visual product inspection to focus too much on the most obvious detail, while ignoring other parts of the inspection. You notice a crushed corner, but you miss a barely legible marking, a loose closure or an incorrect unit on the package. An inspection checklist can help to keep the order. Check product name, product category, net quantity, packaging material, package type and integrity, product appearance and visible defects or storage-related information and so on every time. By following the same sequence, it will be easier to compare separate product records and avoid your inspection being swayed by your first impression.
Add a short assessment comment at the end of your record, clearly distinguishing between what you saw and what you do not know. For instance, “product label is fully readable and the plastic foil seal of the package is intact; there is a small dent on the bottom of the outer carton; product condition cannot be assessed without opening the package.” This approach allows you to express the limitations of a visual product inspection before putting away the sample. Read over what you wrote down one last time to see if it would allow a person to visualize the product and locate the recorded details on the packaging without ever seeing it before. If yes, your inspection record is working just fine.