USING THE KANO MODEL TO IDENTIFY CLIENT REQUIREMENTS
The Kano model shows how the individual features of a product/service contribute to client/customer satisfaction. The model identifies three categories of product/service features: 1) Basic features: are attributes, without which a product would simply be unacceptable. The customer takes them as prerequisites and may not even mention them, though they are essential. Failure to provide them causes great dissatisfaction; however, putting effort into enhancing basic features leads to no extra customer satisfaction and may add unnecessary cost and complexity to the product.
2) Performance features: are features that provide a real benefit to the customer, and the more highly implemented they are, the more satisfied the customer will be. An example is the fuel economy in a car - the more efficient the better. Lower price is usually another. 3) Excitement features: give the customer unexpected value and may be attractive out of all proportion to the objective benefits they give. The problem is that traditional market research (surveys and focus groups) is unlikely to identify the requirements for excitement features. An example of an excitement feature is the German manufacturer Miele’s introduction of a vacuum cleaner that indicates when the floor being cleaned is dust-free (a breakthrough feature for the increasing number of people with allergies). 1. Basic features are expected and often essential and if not present will create client dissatisfaction. They are ‘givens’ and the designer is expected to implement these features. 2. Performance features are required to achieve product/service success they need to
be identified by the designer. 3. Excitement features will delight the client. The client may be unaware of that these options exist and relies on the designer for their implementation.