Final answer:
Escaped defects are those not caught during the development and testing phases. They can arise from poor design, insufficient focus on the right product attributes, or inadequate prototype testing. Thorough evaluation and testing are crucial to prevent these defects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Escaped defects refer to defects that were not originally found by the quality assurance team, the development team, or during any stage of checking before the product reaches the customer. This type of defect can result from various causes such as poor design decisions made early in the development process, focusing too much on certain attributes of the product without considering the full user experience, or because prototypes were not tested adequately. To evaluate the quality of a design and minimize the risk of escaped defects, thorough testing and evaluation through different stages of product development are essential. Strategies such as peer reviews, iterative testing, customer feedback loops, and rigorous quality assurance processes are used to identify and fix potential defects before products are released.