Kano Model
The Kano customer satisfaction model was developed by Dr. Noriaki Kano, a highly respected quality management pioneer who is currently serving as professor emeritus at the Tokyo University of Science. The Kano model effectively analyzes the importance of attributes in driving favorability. Instead of looking at each attribute as a one-dimensional construction – the higher the perceived performance, the higher the favorability– the model examines each attribute on two dimensions, the impact on overall favorability and degree of achievement (performance).
The model serves as an excellent tool for examining positioning concepts and understanding not only what drives favorability in the category, but also which specific positioning concepts a company can own and use to differentiate the brand.
The Kano model is used to answer questions such as:
- What about my product or service is important to my customers?
- What are things that my company must do well in order to succeed?
- Which improvements will have the greatest overall impact on customer satisfaction?
- What are our strengths relative to competitors?
