Kano diagram

Kano diagram of customer satisfaction

The Kano diagram depicts the idea that one
might consider customer satisfaction on a
scale from disgusted to delighted.
If the product function is a good surrogate for
the customer need being considered, one
could plot a 45^degree line, which would
indicate the nominal supplied satisfaction for
any specification level of the function.
This line is known as one to one quality or
linear quality, the minimum expectation of
any new product development undertaking.
 Kano diagram (contd)
One could also plot a lower curve that would indicate the
minimum, basic level of satisfaction that a customer presumes
must exist for the function implementation level.
This plot, known as basic performance, represents assumed
functionality that must be in the product.
It is expected and latent; if it does not exist in the product, the
satisfaction of the customer will be greatly deteriorated.
One could plot an upper curve that would indicate the delighted
state that a customer would hope to have for the function
implementation level.
The delighted state is what a design team should strive for, to
provide performance beyond what the customers expect, which
delights them.
 These three states of satisfaction and the
spectrum between them forms the
background thinking behind customer needs.
There is a spectrum of customer satisfaction
from disgust to delight that changes with
increased implementation of functions.
The more product function implemented, the
more the customer expects.
The message from the Kano diagram is
simple yet profound. Customer expectations
increase over time. It is therefore paramount
to stay in touch with the customers and to
understand their preferences.
 Customer Populations
The customer is a statistical concept; there are numerous
potential purchasers of a new product being designed.
The customer population is the set of persons whom we want
to be purchasers of our new product.
The customer population is varied; different objectives for the
product, operate the product in different environments and
generally have different expectations.
There are different strategies a company might take to such
diversity, offering a single product, forcing customers to be
happy with that offering; permitting customization of features
on the product.
One obvious way is to determine the average response of the
customer population on any set of criteria and call this
average the response of the average customer.
 Type of Customer Needs
Customer needs were classified based on how easy the
customer can express and how rapidly they change.

Direct needs:
Needs that customer have no trouble declaring as
something they are concerned about.

Latent needs:
These needs are not directly expressed by the customer
without probing.
Latent needs are better characterized as customer needs,
not of the product, but of the system within which the product
operates.
Constant needs:
These needs are intrinsic to the task of the product and
always will be. When a product is used, this need will
always will be.
These needs are effective o examine with customer
need analysis.

Variable needs:
These needs are not necessarily constant: if a
foreseeable technological change can happen, these
needs go away.
These needs are difficult to understand through
discussions with customer.
General needs:
These needs apply to every person in the customer
population.

Niche needs:
These needs apply only to a smaller market segment
within the entire buying population.
 Customer Need Models
The statistical representation of the product customer needs in the
desired result.
This result can be as simple as a list of needs, as distilled from
interviews from the customer.
The resulting list might be augmented with importance weightings,
determined through questionnaires with the importance of each
need determined independently.
 Conducting Interviews: Like/Dislike method
A team member interviews the customers to describe
what they like and do not like abut the product at their
site of usage.

During this process, more detailed questions may be

asked to explore different facts of the product.

At the same time, a reasonable list of customer needs is

developed.

It is important when holding interviews to have the

customers run through their process of using the
product.
Some general hint for effective customer
interaction
Go with the flow
Use visual aids
Have the customer demonstrate
Be alert for surprise and latent needs
watch for non verbal information.

This method is quick and suitable for determining

what features of a product are ready for redesign.
Like/Dislike data collection form