What is the Kano model?

The Kano model is a product management approach in which the features are prioritized on a product roadmap. The priorities to the product roadmap features are allocated based on how satisfactory they are towards customer needs. The product management team compares the satisfaction associated with the additional features against the cost of their implementation to ascertain whether adding the feature to the product is a sound decision or not.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to differentiates the kano model from the rest of the prioritization frameworks?

The Kano model is one of the prioritization frameworks which helps the product development and designing team to prioritize the initiatives. To illustrate, a kano model helps the designing team to determine the features which will delight and satisfy the customers. The features are also prioritised by grouping all the potential new features into categories. One category might comprise of the features which could disappoint the customers and the other might highlight the feature which will elevate the customer’s satisfaction.

The kano model highlights the reaction of consumers to each feature, and this characteristic differentiates the kano model from the rest of the prioritization frameworks. For example, in the benefit vs cost model, customer satisfaction can be used for prioritizing the features, however, it can also include other criteria like the increment in the revenue generated. Whereas, in the Kano model, the satisfaction derived from the employment of new features is given key consideration.

What are the main features of a Kano model?

The kano model is not limited to identifying the features and the degree of satisfaction associated with it but also helps in identifying the features which should not be included in the product roadmap –

• Indifferent features – These are the features that the customer does not care about.
• Dissatisfaction features – These are the set of features that will upset the customers.

Other than these categories of features, there are categories of features that should/ will be included in the product map –

• Basic features – The basic features include the features a product must have to remain competitive in the market. These are the threshold features a customer will expect in a product and take them for granted, for example, a turn signal in a vehicle. Chiefly, these features should be included and work as per the customers’ expectation. If these features do not work as per the desirability, then it will lead to dissatisfaction.
• Excitement features – When a product team invests in an exciting feature, it simultaneously increases customer delight. These features are not the priority of a customer, and they might not even ask for them, but if a company invests in these features, then the customer’s satisfaction increases. These can be seen as the unique features that surprise the customers.
• Performance features – There is a linear relationship between customer satisfaction and the increasing investment in performance features. To illustrate, with the increase in the investment in the camera quality, customer satisfaction also increases in the same proportion. The purchase decision is highly affected by the performance features. If a competitor is providing the same product with better features, then the customer will buy the competitors product.

 What is the working of the kano model?

The product design and development team create the list of the potential new features by deploying the kano model. These features are then weighted as per the two competing criteria –

• Potential of the new features to satisfy the customers.
• Investment required to incorporate those features or to implement those features.

The kano model can also be described as an investment in implementation vs customer delight.

What are the strengths of the kano model?

• Kano model can effectively and efficiently ascertain the desires and the needs of the customers.
• Kano model acts as a road for the goods and services development and design as it allows the product team to locate the priority features which need significant attention and improvement.
• Kano model can be employed during the product introduction stage, as it helps in ascertaining the features which will ensure the long term success of the product and services.
• The kano model can be employed at the different stages of product development by figuring out the features which are liked by the customers.
• The area of focus which will improve customer satisfaction is identified through the model.

What are the weaknesses of the Kano model?

• The analysis of the results achieved after the employment of the Kano model is difficult and a significant amount of knowledge is required to implement the results in the product development.
• The data collection process can be dull and tedious. The list of the questions is dependent upon the number of the new features. The data collection procedure can be exhausting and therefore, it is important to equally distribute the time and efforts throughout the project.

How Kano model should be used?

• When the new features are listed, the features listing should include what the features do through an explanatory text description.
• The kano model results will be affected by the features tested before collecting the data. Therefore, organisations should test or run prototype tests on at least 10 – 20 features.
• While collecting data from surveys, the customer’s selection plays a crucial role. The demographics of the respondents should be considered as it will affect the kano model results. The population should be the target audience of the company.
• The questions included in the survey should be clear and one question should be dedicated to each feature.
• Moreover, the focus should not only be on the feature but also on the output from the feature. The interactive display of the output will give a better understanding to the respondent regarding the features and their functionality.