Kano Model

Kano Model in Requirements Prioritization

What is the Kano Model?

The Kano Model is a requirements prioritization technique that categorizes product features based on customer satisfaction and their impact on user experience. Developed by Dr. Noriaki Kano in the 1980s, it helps teams understand which features will deliver the most value to customers and which might merely waste resources.

Why is the Kano Model Important?

In business analysis and product development, not all requirements have equal importance. The Kano Model provides several benefits:

• It helps distinguish between essential features versus nice-to-have features
• It clarifies which features will delight customers versus those that are basic expectations
• It enables more strategic decision-making in resource allocation
• It provides a customer-centric approach to product development
• It supports more effective communication with stakeholders about prioritization decisions

How the Kano Model Works

The Kano Model categorizes features into five distinct categories:

1. Must-have (Basic) Requirements: These are fundamental features that customers expect. Their presence doesn't increase satisfaction significantly, but their absence causes extreme dissatisfaction. Example: A car must have brakes.

2. Performance Requirements: These features provide satisfaction proportional to their level of implementation. The better they function, the higher the satisfaction. Example: Fuel efficiency in a car.

3. Delighters (Excitement Requirements): These are unexpected features that create delight when present but cause no dissatisfaction when absent. Example: Heated seats in an economy car.

4. Indifferent Requirements: Features that customers don't care about - their presence or absence doesn't affect satisfaction. Example: A specific brand of tire in a new car.

5. Reverse Requirements: Features that cause dissatisfaction when present and satisfaction when absent. Example: Complex UI that makes a product harder to use.

Implementation Process:

1. Identify requirements to be prioritized
2. Create functional and dysfunctional questions for each requirement:
- Functional: "How would you feel if this feature was present?" - Dysfunctional: "How would you feel if this feature was absent?"3. Survey customers with these questions using a scale like:
- I like it
- I expect it
- I am neutral
- I can live with it
- I dislike it
4. Analyze responses using the Kano evaluation table to classify each requirement
5. Prioritize development focusing first on Must-haves, then Performance features, then Delighters

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Kano Model

• Know the categories thoroughly: Understand the five categories and be able to identify requirements that fit each one

• Understand the evaluation process: Be familiar with how functional/dysfunctional questions work and how responses translate to categories

• Remember the prioritization sequence: Must-haves → Performance → Delighters (with Indifferent and Reverse requirements typically being less important)

• Watch for requirement evolution: Recognize that Delighters today become Performance features tomorrow and eventually Must-haves (the "Kano shift")

• Apply practical reasoning: In scenario-based questions, think about real customer reactions to features rather than simply memorizing definitions

• Consider context: The same feature might fall into different categories depending on the product type, market, and customer segment

• Link to other concepts: Connect the Kano Model to other prioritization techniques like MoSCoW or relative weighting when appropriate

• Focus on customer perspective: Remember that the Kano Model is about customer satisfaction, not technical difficulty or cost

For exam questions, pay special attention to scenarios asking you to identify which category a specific requirement falls into based on customer reactions. Also, look for questions about proper implementation of the model or its advantages compared to other prioritization techniques.