The Kano model

The Kano model helps teams prioritize improvements by understanding how different features impact customer satisfaction. Developed by Professor Noriaki Kano, this framework reveals that not all improvements create equal value. Some features delight customers, while others merely prevent dissatisfaction.

The model classifies customer needs into 5 distinct categories:

• Basic needs: Must-have features that customers expect. Their absence causes frustration, but their presence goes unnoticed (e.g., working search function on an e-commerce site)
• Performance needs: Features where more is better. Satisfaction increases linearly with improvement (e.g., faster page load times)
• Excitement needs: Unexpected features that delight customers and create competitive advantage (e.g., AI-powered size recommendations in a shopping app)
• Indifferent needs: Features customers don't care about either way (e.g., animated page transitions)
• Reverse needs: Features that some customers prefer absent (e.g., auto-playing videos)

To apply this model, survey your customers about each potential improvement twice: how they'd feel if the feature was present, and if it was absent. Their responses reveal which category each improvement belongs to, guiding investment decisions.