Kano Model in Product Prioritization

The Kano model helps us understand what features will really make customers happy. In Image provided below. On the horizontal line, we have three types of features:

1. Must-haves (Basic Features): These are things your product must have. If you don’t have them, people won’t even consider buying your product.
2. Performance Features: The more you work on these, the happier customers will be. It’s like adding extra goodness to your product.
3. Delighters (Excitement Features): These are cool surprises. Customers don’t expect them, but when they get them, it makes them super happy.

• On the vertical line, we measure customer satisfaction. At the bottom, it’s like the product didn’t meet their needs at all. As you go up, satisfaction increases until it’s fully met at the top.
• To understand what people want, you ask them questions using a Kano questionnaire. You figure out how they feel about having or not having specific features.

Here’s the key idea: The more you focus on improving features in each of these categories, the happier your customers will be. So, it’s about wisely spending your time and resources to create a product that really satisfies your customers.

Features of Kano Model

1. Basic Features: These are features that customers expect and are considered essential for the product to meet its basic requirements. They are necessary but do not necessarily lead to customer satisfaction or delight. Examples include a car having four wheels or a smartphone having a battery.
2. Performance Features: These are features that customers use to evaluate and compare products. They are important for customer satisfaction and can differentiate a product from its competitors. Examples include a car having good fuel efficiency or a smartphone having a high-resolution camera.
3. Excitement Features: These are features that exceed customer expectations and can delight customers. They are not essential for the product to meet its basic requirements but can provide a competitive advantage. Examples include a car having a built-in navigation system or a smartphone having facial recognition.

Use Case of Kano Model

The Kano Model is used by product managers to prioritize features and requirements based on their impact on customer satisfaction and delight. It helps product managers understand which features are essential, which are important for differentiation, and which can provide a competitive advantage.

Benefits of Kano Model

1. Customer-Centric: The Kano Model is customer-centric and helps product managers understand customer needs and preferences.
2. Prioritization: The Kano Model helps product managers prioritize features and requirements based on their impact on customer satisfaction and delight.
3. Competitive Advantage: The Kano Model helps product managers identify features that can provide a competitive advantage and differentiate their product from competitors.

Drawbacks of Kano Model

1. Subjectivity: The Kano Model is subjective and relies on the judgment of the product manager and team members to categorize features.
2. Complexity: The Kano Model can be complex and difficult to apply in practice, especially for products with a large number of features.
3. Limited Scope: The Kano Model is limited in scope and does not take into account other factors that may affect prioritization, such as cost, effort, or risk.

Overall, the Kano Model is a useful framework for understanding customer needs and preferences and prioritizing features based on their impact on customer satisfaction and delight.

Product prioritization frameworks are methodologies or approaches used by product managers to determine which features, tasks, or projects should be prioritized based on various criteria. These frameworks help product managers make informed decisions about where to allocate resources and focus their efforts.