100% iPhone QA
In 1999, we were preparing for a large iPhone debut at Big Planet in Provo Utah. This event was to make or break our progress in the market and cement a brand for internet appliances. If this failed, there is no telling what would have happened to the company. Thousands of people were registered to attend and the iPhone was the main product for their ecommerce, multi-level marketing product debut.
I was the “feet on the ground” for the network deployment, also responsible for call center training in advance of the show. We had just received 1500 units from the hardware manufacturer (CIDCO) two days before the event. On this day, I visited the warehouse and did a random test of 5 units – checked boxes, content inserts and power tested units. I was shocked and dismayed to find 100% of the units failed operational testing: touch screens were not functional, some didn’t power on and others were missing parts.
I called my boss and told him the news and my single recommendation: “we have to conduct tests on all 1500 units.” The phone was silent for a few seconds until he said, “we need to tell Ed”, the CEO. After a quick call with Ed and a few other IG executives, I had the displeasure of conveying the news to the Big Planet CEO, Richard King. We cobbled a plan together to find enough people with less than 30 hours before the event. We created a quick and dirty process for opening boxes, testing touch screens and re-boxing the units to look like they were not opened.
The goal was to finish testing of units before they went on sale during the show. We finished batches of 200 units and delivered them to the venue for display. Testing was finished before the end of the show, just in time for sales and sign ups, but much to my chagrin, there were other logistical issues that prevented the client from shipping the units until later. But after days of stress, training and daily check-ins with antsy executives, I didn’t care that shipment was delayed. The team and I did our job, and we received the hero’s welcome after the show.