What is Kano Model analysis? Understand Customer Needs

For any business, it is very important to understand the customer’s wants and needs because customers do not understand this, as a business we have to tell them what their wants and needs are. Kano model for customer needs is the most powerful tool available which can easily tell us what are the customer wants and needs.

As an organization, if you are creating a new product/process, if you want to improve the quality of the product or want to improve processes then you need to understand the customer requirements.

What do customers expect from your process or product, without understanding customer expectations, it is very difficult for organizations to create a world-class product that satisfies the customers. 

In this article, we will understand the Kano model, a powerful tool to understand customer needs and wants. We will discuss starting from its history to its application in the real world, at the end of this, you will be in a position to apply the Kano model at your workplace. Let’s start…

What is the Kano model for customer satisfaction-

Noriaki Kano, the Japanese researcher, consultant, and professor at Tokyo Rika University proposed the powerful method of categorizing and prioritizing the different customer requirements i.e Kano analysis. The Kano model is an insightful way of understanding, categorizing, and prioritizing customer requirements for a new product or service.

It is the theory of product development and customer satisfaction developed in 1980 and this classifies customer preferences into different categories. The concept of this tool was first published in an article by kano and his colleagues in 1984 in the journal of the Japanese society of quality control. Then it became popular and continues today to be an essential tool for all organizations.

Strengths of Kano analysis –

• This has the ability to effectively identify the needs and desires of customers.
• This tool provides a roadmap for product or service development by identifying priority features for improvement and attention.
• It identifies the basic requirements of customers as well as performance and excitement requirements.
• This model is based on the view that functionality is not the only measure of how good a product is, rather customer emotions should also be taken into consideration. 
• This tool shows which requirement of the customer we need to focus on, to increase customer satisfaction.

How the Kano model works –

Before designing any product/service or starting an improvement project it is very important for the project team to understand customer needs and wants, to understand this they use different methods. 

We need to capture the requirements or feedback from the customer so that we can provide them the best-in-class product or services. This process is all about being proactive and constantly innovative to capture the changing requirements of customers with time. 

At the start of the kano analysis, we need to collect customer requirements for that we can use different methods like customer interviews, surveys, focus groups, feedback data, etc. Let’s see these methods-

Methods of capturing customer needs –

Customer interviews:

This is one of the traditional method of collecting customer needs. It is used to understand individual customer point of view regarding product issues, service issues, or improvement opportunities.

This can be performed with individual customers or groups of customers with physical form or we can use phone calls, online meetings, etc. This method can provide the best customer needs data and helps to build relationships with customers.

Customer surveys:

This is also the best way to capture customer’s needs but here we have to focus on creating quality questions that address all the issues about products/services.

Because if you don’t ask the right question you will not get the right feedback that you want. So focus on designing quality questions for the survey. This method is cost-effective, however, the response rate is very low.

Focus groups:

This is also an excellent way to gain valuable insights from customers. In this, a group of 8 to 12 customers meets in a room, where they are asked to share their perceptions, beliefs, and opinion about your product or service. They are free to share their views. This method can help us prioritize customer needs in different categories.

Customer feedback and complaint data:

Customer reviews or feedback about the product/services are treated as a suggestion for improving the quality of the product/services. These suggestions provide a good improvement opportunity.

After collecting this data, (Check out customer need data collection method) we need to conduct a brainstorming session and create a list of important product features that may be responsible for customer satisfaction. Once the list is ready we have to plot the Kano diagram to categorize and prioritize the different customer requirements.

So many steps are involved in this prioritization but before that Let’s understand the Kano diagram first!

Kano diagram:

Look at the below image, we have two axes. We have X-axis and Y-axis in the model. X-axis stands for the implementation level of customer characteristics. On the right, we have customer characteristics of your product or service is fully implemented. On the left side, you have that characteristic absent.

Y-axis indicates customer satisfaction so on the top side of the Y-axis we have satisfied customers and on the bottom side of the Y-axis, we have unhappy customers or dissatisfied customers.

Then we have 5 categories of customer wants and needs but kano analysis gives more emphasis on three categories. we will discuss these categories later, now just focus on how these categories are plotted in the kano diagram.

The first is expected or basic quality requirements represented by the red curve (A). These requirements are not usually mentioned by customers these are mentioned only when they are absent from the product.

Look at the image, if you are in an absent area, you have unhappy customers but even if they are fully 100% implemented the customer is still not happy. because these things are expected from the product.

The second is performance quality requirements represented by the green line(B). What this means, is that whatever you have an increase in performance quality increases customer satisfaction.

There is a linear relationship between customer satisfaction and performance quality features. More the performance features in your product, the higher the customer satisfaction.

After that, the third is Excitement quality requirements represented by the blue curve (C). These are attractive features added to the product to make it different from the competitors and these are unexpected to customers. That’s how the kano diagram looks. (Check out kano model template in excel)

5 categories of the Kano model:

All the customer needs and wants are prioritized in the given 5 categories and after that project team will take the decision of which product attribute/characteristics to consider first. See the categories below-

1. Basic quality features : (Must)

These are the requirements customers expect from your product or service or we can call it Customer basic need. Customers take these requirements for granted. When products have these features customers are ok with it. But if these features are not there then customers are dissatisfied.

These requirements are not mentioned by customers, these are mentioned only when they are absent from the product hence these features must be included in the product to qualify for the market.

Example – Nowadays if you buy a mobile phone, it must have a camera i.e basic feature or if you buy a car it must have a headlight which is a basic need.

2. Performance quality features: (Wants)

These are higher-level features or requirements. When they present in the product, customers are satisfied, and when they are absent, customers are dissatisfied.

These requirements or features are spoken to the customer and the customer wants high-performance features in the product. We can call this a ‘customer wants’

There is a relationship between performance features and customer satisfaction, the higher the performance feature in the product higher the customer satisfaction rate.

Example –  you bought a mobile phone and that phone has a high battery capacity, with the single time charging your mobile runs for 2 days so high battery backup is the performance feature and if your mobile has that, then definitely you will be satisfied with that phone.

3. Excitement/Attractive quality features: (Wows)

These are the highest level of customer requirements and they are unspoken to customers. When these features are present in the product then the customer is fully satisfied but when they are absent, the customer is not dissatisfied.

These are delighters or exciter features because this is more than the customer’s imagination so their absence does not create dissatisfaction among the customers but their presence makes the product different from the competitors and increases sales in the market.

Example – The presence of safety features like a traction control system or ABS in the car or a 200MP front camera in a mobile phone, are attractive quality features.

4. Indifferent quality features:

These are the neutral features of products or services, neither good nor bad. Their absence or presence doesn’t make customers satisfied or dissatisfied because customers won’t care about these features.

Example – Adding seatbelts to back passenger seats in the car, even if they are present or absent customer doesn’t care.

5. Reverse quality features:

These features are those which result in dissatisfaction, often due to the fact that not all customers are same. These are dissatisfaction features that make customers upset.

Example – A mobile phone has all great features but it makes the phone too complex, customers can’t handle it easily so definitely they become dissatisfied.

These are the important categories, out of these 5, Noriaki kano gives more emphasis on the first 3 categories. The most important thing in the kano analysis is the prioritization of customer requirements into these categories. To do this we have to use the kano questionnaire, let’s understand what it actually means!

Kano questionnaire-

Until now we discussed all the basics of how the kano model works, starting from collecting different customer requirements through VOC methods and then translating them into measurable characteristics of the product or service.

After doing this basic work, definitely we will have a list of customer requirements at this stage of kano analysis so it becomes very difficult to prioritize the customer requirements into basic quality, performance quality, attractive quality, etc.

We have to go into the depth of each of the customer’s requirements and check whether it is really important for the customer or not. To do an in-depth study of each requirement we need to use the kano questionnaire.

For each customer requirement, we need to ask 2 types of questions functional and dysfunctional questions. By using these questions we want to discover what the customer wants and how does customer view particular requirement.

Functional questions ask “about the customer perception or how they feel when a particular requirement is included in the product”, whereas dysfunctional question asks “about customer perception or how they feel when the particular requirement is not included in the product.”

Let’s see one example of these questions –

Customer requirement – 6000amp battery in mobile (attractive feature)

Functional question – How do you feel if a mobile has a 6000amp battery?

1. Like it.
2. Expect it.
3. Do not care
4. Can live with it.
5. Dislike it.

Definitely answer is Like it.

Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a mobile has not 6000amp battery?

1. Like it.
2. Expect it.
3. Do not care
4. Can live with it.
5. Dislike it.

Here the response is different for different customers, some may tolerate it or some may dislike it because they want more battery capacity. I will go with the 4th option i.e. can live with it. because the high battery capacity is an attractive feature, customers can adjust with less battery capacity up to 3000 or 4000amp.

If we add this feature definitely they like it but if we don’t add this feature they will not dissatisfy.

In any product, basic quality features are expected so as a company we have to include them. For performance features and attractive features, we have to ask these two questions.

So if customers like when a particular feature is present in the product and don’t care when it is not present then that feature is an attractive quality feature.

If customers strictly like a particular feature when it is included in the product and disliked it when it is not there in the product then that feature is a performance feature.

That’s how we need to ask these two questions for all listed customer requirements in the kano analysis. if we have 30 to 35 requirements do this type of analysis for all.

Asking the question in this format allows us to compare customer perception when particular features are included in the product and when it is excluded from the product.

At last, we have an evaluation table that gives us a more clear picture of which customer requirement is expected, performance features, and attractive features. Let’s understand that!

Kano model evaluation table –

This table consists of responses to these two types of questions for all listed customer requirements. On the top, we have a dysfunctional question and on the left-hand side, we have functional questions, along with responses like it, expect it, don’t care, and can live with it, dislike it. 

By performing this evaluation for all listed requirements at the end we will get which customer requirement must be, attractive, performance and indifferent, reverse, etc.

As per the table, for a particular customer requirement, there are three situations when the given requirement or feature is called basic quality or expected quality.

1. When the functional question answer is ” expect it ” and the dysfunctional question answer is “dislike it”.
2. when the functional question answer is ” don’t care” and the dysfunctional question answer is “dislike it”.
3. When the functional question answer is “can live with it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “dislike it”.

Similarly, there is only one situation when the given feature is called a performance feature.

1. When the functional question answer is “like it” and the dysfunctional question answer is ” dislike it”.

Again, there are three situations when the given feature is called an Attractive feature.

1. When the functional question answer is “like it” and the dysfunctional question answer is ” expect it”.
2. When the functional question answer is “like it” and the dysfunctional question answer is ” don’t care”.
3. When the functional question answer is “like it” and the dysfunctional question answer is ” live with it”.

Then there are seven situations when the given feature is called an Indifferent quality feature

1. When the functional question answer is “expect it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “don’t care”.
2. When the functional question answer is “expect it” and the dysfunctional question answer is ” live with it”.
3. When the functional question answer is “don’t care” and the dysfunctional question answer is “expect it “.
4. When the functional question answer is “don’t care” and the dysfunctional question answer is “don’t care”.
5. When the functional question answer is “don’t care” and the dysfunctional question answer is “live with it”.
6. When the functional question answer is “live with it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “expect it”.
7. When the functional question answer is “live with it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “don’t care”.

Similarly, there are seven situations when the given feature is called a Reverse quality feature.

1. When the functional question answer is “expect it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “like it”.
2. When the functional question answer is “don’t care” and the dysfunctional question answer is “like it”.
3. When the functional question answer is “live with it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “like it”
4. When the functional question answer is “dislike it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “like it”.
5. When the functional question answer is “dislike it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “expect it”.
6. When the functional question answer is “dislike it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “don’t care”.
7. When the functional question answer is “dislike it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “live with it”.

There is one more category called the Questionable feature. This means when there are conflicting responses for functional as well as dysfunctional questions.

For this category, customer responses are neutral or the same. If the particular requirement is included in the product they “like it” and if it is not there then also they “like it”.

So here we have to reassess that customer requirement and decide whether it is considerable or not. It indicates that this type of customer requirement doesn’t matter to the customer. There are four situations where we can say the given requirement is questionable.

1. When the functional question answer is “like it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “like it”.
2. When the functional question answer is “expect it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “expect it”.
3. When the functional question answer is “live with it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “live with it”.
4. When the functional question answer is “dislike it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “dislike it”.

That’s how on the basis of these responses to the functional and dysfunctional questions we can prioritize all the customer requirements into different categories of the Kano model. With the help of these situations, I think it is easy to evaluate customer requirements.

One more thing I would like to tell you here, after prioritizing all the customer requirements into categories. The final step is to select the best attractive customer requirements or delighters which increase the satisfaction rate.

This is our focus point because the basic feature and performance features we have to add to the product or process to make it more competitive. Taking a decision about adding delighters or wow features to the product is a crucial task. We have two criteria that can help us to select the right features.

1. Features potential to satisfy customers.
2. The investment needed to implement those features.

We can assess those features on the basis of these two criteria and then goes for the final decision of selecting the right customer requirement for the product or service. 

Application of Kano model –

We have the list of all applications –

• For Project selection in every field.
• Lean six sigma projects.
• Design for six sigma projects.
• Design for customer satisfaction and manufacturability.
• New product development.
• New service development.
• Determine market strategies or market research.

We talked about all the basic things about of Kano model so now try to understand this with one practical example.

Kano model example-

Modification of a car

Consider a scenario where a car manufacturing company got feedback from the customer that they are not happy with some car models and they want modification in that.

Then the company assigned this work to project manager John to analyze customer requirements and suggest important modifications to the manufacturing department.

John and his team decided to use the Kano model to determine which features of the car should be implemented and the importance of each feature. They started with step by step approach-

Step -1: Collect customer requirement or create a list of product features which is important from a customer point of view

John and his team used different methods to collect customer needs like they performed direct interviews with the customer, they conducted surveys, also performed focus groups and at last, they did an analysis of customer feedback or reviews.

Whatever needs customers mentioned during these activities, all are not supposed to be important for the product. So now John and his team performed a brainstorming session to select important customer needs or features for the product (car).

Then finally they come up with a list of all possible features that are important for a car. Here is the list of features-

1. Dual airbag.
2. Antilock brake system.
3. Child door lock.
4. Adjustable mirrors.
5. AC
6. Power steering with tilt adjustment
7. Power windows.
8. Music system.
9. Central door locking.
10. Sun visor for front seats.
11. Engine immobilizer.
12. Three-point seatbelts for rear seats.
13. Seatbelts with pre-tensioner and load limiters.
14. Rear parking camera.
15. Rear parking sensor.
16. Smart suspension.
17. Automatic climate control.
18. Electronic Stability Control.
19. Anti-Theft Alarm.
20. Remote Trunk Opener.

Step – 2: Use the Kano questionnaire to validate all the 20 listed features and collect responses for all features.

At this stage, John and his team going to evaluate all the features for functional and dysfunctional questions. For this activity, they selected a total of 25 customers. For all those 20 features they will ask the functional and dysfunctional questions to all these 25 customers. Let see-

1st feature – Dual airbag

Customer – 1 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 2 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 3 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 4 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 5 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 6 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 7 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Live with it.

Customer – 8 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Don’t care.

Customer – 9 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Live with it.

Customer – 10 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 11 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 12 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Don’t care.

Customer – 13 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 14 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 15 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it. 
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Don’t care.

Customer – 16 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 17 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 18 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 19 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 20:

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Live with it.

Customer – 21 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 22 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 23 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 24 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

Customer – 25 :

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Don’t care.

That’s how John and his team assess the first feature by using the Kano model questionnaire and got responses from all 25 customers. In the same way, they assessed all the remaining 19 features and got responses from those 25 customers.

(We have to follow the same procedure to get responses for all features) So now they are ready with the responses, it’s time to prioritize them!

Step – 3: Prioritize all the features in different categories by using the kano model evaluation table.

John told his team member to validate all the responses as per the conditions given in the kano evaluation table. So they started validating all the responses in order to categorize them into basic, performance, and attractive quality features.

(We already discussed the kano evaluation table in detail along with conditions for all 5 categories.)

Now see the responses of 25 customers for 1st feature – Dual airbag

Customers 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th, 11th, 14th, 21st, and 24th have the same response for the functional and dysfunctional questions. All these 11 customers have the same feeling when a Dual airbag is present in the car and when it is absent. See their response –

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

If you remembered the condition we have already discussed that when the functional question answer is ” Expect it” and the dysfunctional question answer is ” dislike it” then that feature is a Basic feature. That means according to 11 customers’ responses dual airbag is the Basic feature.

Customers 13th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 22th, and 23th have the same response for the functional and dysfunctional questions. All these 7 customers have the same feeling when a Dual airbag is present in the car and when it is absent. See their response –

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Dislike it.

here also, If you remembered the condition we have already discussed that when the functional question answer is      “like it” and the dysfunctional question answer is ” dislike it” then that feature is a performance feature. That means according to 7 customers’ responses dual airbag is the performance feature.

Customers 8th, 12th, 15th, and 25th have the same response for the functional and dysfunctional questions. All these 4 customers have the same feeling when a Dual airbag is present in the car and when it is absent. See their response –

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Like it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Don’t care.

Again, If you remembered the condition we have already discussed that when the functional question answer is      “like it” and the dysfunctional question answer is ” don’t care” then that feature is an Attractive feature. That means according to 4 customers’ responses dual airbag is an Attractive feature.

Customers 7th, 9th, and 20th have the same response for the functional and dysfunctional questions. All these 3 customers have the same feeling when a Dual airbag is present in the car and when it is absent. See their response –

1. Functional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is included in the car?  Response – Expect it.
2. Dysfunctional question – How do you feel if a Dual airbag is not included in the car?  Response – Live with it.

So, If you remembered the condition we have already discussed that when the functional question answer is “Expect it” and the dysfunctional question answer is “live with it” then that feature is an Indifferent feature. That means according to 3 customers’ responses dual airbag is an Indifferentent feature.

In the end, there is no customer who thinks a dual airbag is a Reverse quality feature. Now count these responses, 

• According to 11 customers – It is a Basic feature.
• According to 7 customers – It is a Performance feature.
• According to 4 customers – It is an Attractive feature.
• According to 3 customers – It is an Indifferent feature.
• According to 0 customers – It is a Reverse feature.

From these responses, John and his team concluded that Dual airbag is a Basic feature ( as per the highest customer response). In this way, John and his team assessed customers’ responses for all the remaining 19 features and created a final result table.

(The same procedure we need to follow for all other features, depending upon customer responses categorize each feature into those 5 categories)

Look at this result table, the dual airbag is a basic feature. Similarly for the second feature Antilock brake system (ABS) team got the highest responses from the customers i.e.15 which shows this feature is a Performance feature.

For the 3rd  feature child door lock team got the highest responses from the customers i.e.10 which shows this feature is an Attractive feature. Similarly, as per responses, the 4th feature is a basic feature, the 5th feature is also basic, and so on.

That’s how John and his team got a clear idea of how many features are in the basic, performance, and attractive categories by analyzing customer responses. Now they are moving towards the final step i.e drawing the kano diagram.

Step – 4: Plot the kano model diagram and then provide suggestions on, which feature to include in the product.

That’s how the team plotted the kano diagram and prioritized all the features into different categories. So Johna and his team concluded that there are 7 features that are expected by the customer from the car called basic features, This must be included in the car.

Then there are 8 features that are satisfier because these features full fill the wants of the customer, by adding them to the car makes the car highly competitive in the market. For this example, no feature is in the indifferent and reverse categories.

At last, there are 5 features that are delighter for the customer because these features excite the customer, by adding them to the car, john’s company can increase the sale of the car and differentiate the product from the competitors.

In the end,  which features to include or exclude from the car depends on the two criteria that we discussed i.e. the potential of a particular feature to satisfy customers and the investment required to implement it. John and his team discuss all this with the manufacturing department and then go for the final decision of car modification. That’s how Kano model analysis can be done.

Conclusion-

I hope you got a clear idea of how to perform the kano model analysis after this practical example. we discussed in detail every aspect of this wonderful tool. Alright! we know today’s world is continuously changing along with that customer requirements also changing.

Today’s attractive quality features become performance feature tomorrow and the day after tomorrow performance feature becomes basic quality features which means over time Wow becomes wants and wants becomes a must.

So those organizations that continuously collect customer need data and improve the product as per new requirements, will stay ahead of the competition and become the industry leaders. In this journey, the kano model will help them.

Frequently asked questions