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Kano Model
Product / Tools
Classify features by how they affect customer satisfaction.
The Five Categories
- Basic (must-have). Expected. Their absence angers; their presence is unnoticed.
- Performance. More is better. Satisfaction scales with amount.
- Delighters. Unexpected. Their presence surprises; their absence isn't missed.
- Indifferent. Users don't care.
- Reverse. Users actively dislike them.
Why It Matters
- Different feature types demand different investment.
- Basic features are the floor — miss them and nothing else matters.
- Delighters wear out over time — today's delighter becomes tomorrow's basic.
How to Apply
- For each feature, ask users: "How would you feel if it were present? If it were absent?"
- Place features in categories.
- Prioritise: secure the basics, invest in performance, sprinkle delighters.
The Trap
- Spending on delighters while basics are broken.
- Ignoring that categories shift. Wi-Fi in hotels used to delight; now it's basic.
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