Kano Model: Understanding Customer Satisfaction and Prioritizing Features

Not all features are equal. Some delight customers, others are simply expected, and still others interest nobody. The Kano Model helps you understand which requirements really matter – and where you should invest.

What is the Kano Model?

The Kano Model was developed in the 1980s by Professor Noriaki Kano. It categorizes product attributes based on how they influence customer satisfaction.

The key insight: The relationship between feature fulfillment and customer satisfaction is not linear. Some features generate excitement, others only indifference – regardless of how well they're implemented.

The 5 Categories of the Kano Model

1. Basic Features (Must-Be)

Characteristics:

• Expected by the customer as given
• When fulfilled, don't create satisfaction
• When missing, cause strong dissatisfaction

IT Examples:

• Website loads without errors
• Login works
• Data is saved
• Basic security

Remember: Basic features are like air to breathe. Nobody praises them, but if they're missing, the customer is gone.

2. Performance Features (One-Dimensional)

Characteristics:

• The better fulfilled, the more satisfied the customer
• The worse fulfilled, the more dissatisfied
• Linear relationship between fulfillment and satisfaction

IT Examples:

• Loading speed (faster = better)
• Storage space (more = better)
• Number of features
• Uptime guarantee

Remember: Investment pays off here – every improvement increases satisfaction.

3. Excitement Features (Attractive/Delighters)

Characteristics:

• Not expected
• Create high excitement when present
• If missing, customer is not dissatisfied

IT Examples:

• Surprisingly intuitive UX
• Proactive problem detection
• Personalized recommendations
• Innovative features nobody knew they wanted

Remember: Excitement features differentiate you from competition. But: Over time, they become basic features!

4. Indifferent Features

Characteristics:

• Customer doesn't care
• Neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction
• Investment doesn't pay off

IT Examples:

• Technical details nobody sees
• Features for niche use cases
• "Nice to have" without real value

Remember: Don't invest here! Resources are limited.

5. Reverse Features

Characteristics:

• Customer does NOT want this feature
• Presence leads to dissatisfaction

IT Examples:

• Too many notifications
• Over-complicated interface
• Forced updates
• Unwanted data collection

Remember: Sometimes less is more.

The Kano Diagram

         Satisfaction
              ▲
              │         ✓ Excitement
              │        /
              │       /
              │      /
    ──────────┼─────/────────────► Fulfillment
              │    /   Performance
              │   /   /
              │  /   /
              │ /   /
              │/   / Basic
              │   /
              ▼
         Dissatisfaction

How to read:

• X-axis: How well is the feature fulfilled?
• Y-axis: How satisfied is the customer?
• Basic curve: Bottom right – only prevents dissatisfaction
• Performance curve: Diagonal – linearly more satisfaction
• Excitement curve: Top left – disproportionate satisfaction

Conducting a Kano Analysis

Step 1: Collect Features

List all potential features or requirements.

Step 2: Create Kano Questionnaire

For each feature, ask two questions:

Functional question: "How would you feel if the product HAD feature X?"

Dysfunctional question: "How would you feel if the product did NOT HAVE feature X?"

Answer options:

1. I would like that
2. I expect that
3. I'm neutral
4. I can tolerate that
5. I would dislike that

Step 3: Use Evaluation Table

	Dysfunctional
Functional	Like	Expect	Neutral	Tolerate	Dislike
Like	Q	A	A	A	O
Expect	R	I	I	I	M
Neutral	R	I	I	I	M
Tolerate	R	I	I	I	M
Dislike	R	R	R	R	Q

Legend:

• A = Attractive (Excitement)
• O = One-Dimensional (Performance)
• M = Must-Be (Basic)
• I = Indifferent
• R = Reverse
• Q = Questionable (Contradiction)

Step 4: Aggregate Results

Survey multiple customers and count how often each feature falls into each category. The most frequent category wins.

Kano Model for IT Projects

Example: Developing a Customer Portal

Feature	Category	Priority
Login works	Basic	Must
Password reset	Basic	Must
Data is saved	Basic	Must
Fast loading (<2s)	Performance	High
Mobile-optimized	Performance	High
Search function	Performance	Medium
Personalized dashboard	Excitement	Medium
AI recommendations	Excitement	Low
Gamification	Indifferent	Don't build

Prioritization Rule:

1. Basic features first: Without them, everything fails
2. Then performance features: This is where you differentiate
3. Excitement features for WOW: If budget allows
4. Cut indifferent features: Saves time and money

Using the Kano Model in Proposals

As a freelancer or consultant, you can use the Kano Model to:

1. Structure Scope

"Our proposal includes:

• Core features (Basic): Login, data storage, basic security
• Differentiating features (Performance): Fast performance, API integration
• Delight features (Optional): AI-powered recommendations"

2. Justify Price

"The investment in performance optimization (performance feature) directly impacts your customer satisfaction. Studies show: Every additional second of loading time reduces conversions by 7%."

3. Offer Options

Package	Basic	Standard	Premium
Basic features	✓	✓	✓
Performance features	–	✓	✓
Excitement features	–	–	✓
Price	$10,000	$18,000	$28,000

Kano and Time

Important: Categories change over time!

What creates excitement today becomes standard tomorrow:

• 2007: Touchscreen smartphone = Excitement
• 2025: Touchscreen = Basic (without it, nobody buys)

Consequence: Re-evaluate regularly. Yesterday's WOW is today's must-have.

Advantages of the Kano Model

• Customer focus: Decisions based on real customer feedback
• Prioritization: Clear order for development
• Resource efficiency: No money for indifferent features
• Differentiation: Excitement features create competitive advantage
• Communication: Easy to explain

Limitations of the Kano Model

• Effort: Survey and analysis take time
• Sample: Results depend on surveyed customers
• Dynamics: Categories change, analysis gets outdated
• Segments: Different customer groups have different expectations

Conclusion

The Kano Model is a powerful tool for anyone developing products or planning IT projects. It helps set the right priorities and understand what customers really want – not what they say they want.

The most important lesson: Not all features are equal. Invest first in basic and performance features. Excitement is the cherry on top – but without a solid foundation, it's worthless.

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Sell Features Right

The Kano Model helps you prioritize features. A good proposal helps you sell them.

With SimpleProposals, you structure your proposals so the client understands the value of each feature – basic, performance, and excitement clearly separated and convincingly presented.

Create compelling proposals now