Product and service development, as well as customer satisfaction, represent real challenges for any company. Many product managers wonder which features to prioritize and their real impact on the user experience. This is where the Kano model comes in, an essential tool for strategically prioritizing features. Lemon Learning explains how this model fits into product management frameworks and how it can maximize customer satisfaction.
The Kano Model is a framework developed by Professor Noriaki Kano in the 1980s. It classifies product or service features based on how they influence customer satisfaction. The model is typically illustrated with a diagram that shows how users react to the presence or absence of specific features.
The core idea is that satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not opposites. A missing feature may cause dissatisfaction, but including it doesn’t necessarily lead to satisfaction. Likewise, some features may delight users when present, but their absence might go unnoticed.
The Kano Model helps companies prioritize product development efforts by identifying which features will truly impact user satisfaction—and which ones are unlikely to add value. As a result, it’s a powerful decision-making tool for guiding R&D and improving the user experience.
The Kano model effectively identifies the needs and desires of customers or prospects. It can be used at any stage of a product’s lifecycle, whether digital or not. This allows companies to avoid devoting resources to features that have no real impact on the product or service, or on consumer satisfaction.
Using this diagram, they can align product development with user expectations and business objectives. It therefore promotes data-driven decision-making. The Kano model is also very useful for evaluating new product ideas and potential improvements. It can also be used to study opinions on the attributes of certain products and what differentiates them from the competition.
Understanding how product features influence satisfaction is essential for any customer-centric strategy. The Kano method for product management distinguishes three broad categories: Must-Have, Performance, and Delighter features. Each plays a distinct role in the product lifecycle and impacts customer satisfaction.
Basic characteristics or expected requirements are the implicit features of a product or service. They are often taken for granted by users. As a result, their absence leads to customer dissatisfaction, while their presence does not necessarily lead to satisfaction.
Basic factors are therefore considered mandatory, without necessarily adding anything to the service or product. A smartphone’s phone function is a perfect example of a basic feature that can influence customer satisfaction.
Also known as proportionality expectations (“more is better”), these features group together product characteristics whose performance level proportionally impacts the level of satisfaction. The absence of these features causes dissatisfaction, while their presence indicates customer satisfaction.
In the Kano diagram, performance characteristics can vary depending on the type of product or market. Companies rely primarily on market research and observations to determine the performance characteristics of a product or service.
This category includes features that consumers don’t expect. Delight features aim to surprise the customer and create a high level of satisfaction, creating an unexpected “Wow” effect. Therefore, the presence of attractive or exciting features generates a strong sense of satisfaction.
On the other hand, the lack of compelling features does not directly influence dissatisfaction. Delightful features can offer a significant competitive advantage, not only by improving overall customer satisfaction, but also by strengthening brand loyalty.