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Domo Arigato Mr. Kano-To

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So if you were born after 1985 or if pop culture isn't your thing the title of this post may have thrown you.  Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto is a peculiar song by Styx that translates into "Thank You Very Much, Mr. Roboto" and appears to be a homage to technology and robotics.  It would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall when they came up with the lyrics for this masterpiece but I digress.  So most of you probably got the reference but are still left wondering who is Mr. Kano?  I am referring to Professor Kano best known for developing the Kano Model in the 1980's (back when you were likely to hear Mr. Roboto from a boom box perched on someone's shoulder).  Kano deals with customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction and classifies customer experiences into five categories:

1. Attractive (producing unexpected value)
2. One-Dimensional (defined by their magnitude so the more, the better)
3. Must-Be (Often hear these referenced as table-stakes, mandatory or baseline)
4. Indifferent (essentially a lack of a preference since all options resulted in equal impact to the customer)
5. Reverse (reflecting a customers preferences not to experience options due to their negative impact on them)

We frequently use Kano in software development to help us understand how user features and stories will affect our customer satisfaction levels as we prioritize what will go into the next release.   By classifying features using the Kano Model, our priorities often become clearer because we look at priorities with the following in mind:

• Have we included the basic features that customers simply expect to be there as a default?
• Do we have a good mix of exciting features to delight our customers?
• Can we ensure that we are not investing features the customers are indifferent to and will rarely utilize?
• Are we creating reverse attributes by putting in too many features that are not important to most customers creating complexity and confusion?

If you take a look at the model pictured on the right, the horizontal axis represents the degree to which the feature is either provided or achieved.  For instance, when you evaluate a microwave you will likely have a list of features that you expect to be there by default.  A timer is a good example.  If these basic features are there as expected you would be on the right side of the horizontal line; if they are not you would be on the left side.

The vertical line represents the degree of satisfaction achieved. The top of the vertical line represents complete satisfaction and the bottom represents complete dissatisfaction.  Kano organized these satisfaction drivers into three basic types:

1. Expressed drivers are the things that customers ask for and that we know they desire based on customer feedback. The Expressed line is represented in green. 
2. Excitement is produced by providing features that are not being expressed as desirable but that the customer values.  We call these features Delighters in product management.  Delighters or Exciters are features your customers don't know they want until they see them.  The Excitement line is represented in purple.
3. Expected drivers must be present or dissatisfaction will occur. The Expected line is represented in red.

We use Kano's three categories to find balance in release planning.  Another aspect that I really like is that over time we can track when customers in the market transition from an “Exciter” to an “Expressed” desire and then to an “Expected” feature.  It is important to monitor these trends because a feature can quickly jump categories as a market matures or changes.  Something that your customers have been asking for can easily slip into expected functionality overnight in a fast paced business.  If that happens and you are not ready you will likely have customers that are dissatisfied right out of the gate.  In that regard, we are using Kano for long term strategy development in addition to shorter-term activities like planning the next release. 

Paying attention to these trends and properly balancing the excitement line, the expressed interest line and the expected line are powerful ways to determine how customers will react to your product or service.   

Thank you very much, Mr. Kano.