Free Online Customer Satisfaction (Kano Model) Interactive Tool

What is the Kano Model?

The Kano Model is a framework for product development and customer satisfaction. It classifies product attributes into five categories based on how customers perceive them. This helps teams distinguish between basic necessities and delightful extras, making it easier to prioritize features that will have the most positive impact.

• Must-Be (Basic): Expected features. Their absence causes dissatisfaction, but their presence is taken for granted (e.g., brakes on a car).
• Performance: The more of these, the better. Satisfaction is proportional to their level of execution (e.g., battery life).
• Attractive (Delighters): Unexpected features. Their presence delights customers, but their absence does not cause dissatisfaction (e.g., a surprise upgrade).
• Indifferent: Features customers don't care about.
• Reverse: Features that cause dissatisfaction when present.

Origin of the Model

The model was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Noriaki Kano, a professor of quality management at the Tokyo University of Science. While researching what drives customer satisfaction and loyalty, he challenged the traditional belief that improving every feature would proportionally increase satisfaction.

His findings revealed a non-linear relationship between product functionality and customer emotional response, leading to the creation of the five distinct categories. The Kano Model has since become a vital tool in user experience (UX), marketing, and product strategy.

Customer Satisfaction Index (CS)

The Customer Satisfaction Index (CS) is a quantitative measure that helps you understand the impact of features on customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

• CS+ (Satisfaction Index): Measures how much satisfaction a feature will generate if implemented.
• CS- (Dissatisfaction Index): Measures how much dissatisfaction will occur if a feature is NOT implemented.

Formula: Based on survey responses, where A=Attractive, O=Performance (One-dimensional), M=Must-be, I=Indifferent:

• CS+ = (A + O) / (A + O + M + I)
• CS- = (O + M) / (A + O + M + I) × (-1)

Values range from 0 to 1 for CS+ and 0 to -1 for CS-. Higher CS+ indicates greater satisfaction impact, while lower CS- indicates greater dissatisfaction avoidance.