Kano
In agile management, it is mainly used to prioritize the Product Backlog, guiding the Product Owner on which user stories generate the greatest perceived value for the customer.
The five categories of the model
Basic needs (Must-be)
These are the minimum expectations that users take for granted. Their absence causes significant dissatisfaction, but implementing them fully does not noticeably increase satisfaction: they simply prevent discontent.
- Example: secure access to a system. If it is missing, the user rejects the product; if it is present, the user does not particularly value it.
Performance needs (One-dimensional)
User satisfaction increases in proportion to how fully these features are implemented. These are the ones users usually state clearly when asked what they want.
- Example: how quickly an application responds. The faster it is, the greater the satisfaction; the slower it is, the greater the dissatisfaction.
Exciters (Attractive)
Features the user does not expect, whose presence generates a high level of satisfaction or "delight." Their absence does not cause dissatisfaction because the user did not even expect them.
- Example: an innovative feature that solves a problem the user did not even know they had.
Indifferent
Features that affect neither user satisfaction nor dissatisfaction.
- Example: a minor cosmetic change to the interface with no functional impact.
Dissatisfiers or Reverse
Features that cause dissatisfaction when present and satisfaction when removed.
- Example: intrusive advertising within an application.
Graphical representation
The diagram shows how the categories are distributed in relation to the level of implementation (X-axis) and the impact on satisfaction (Y-axis). The curves illustrate the differences between categories.
How to apply it in agile projects
- Identify features: gather requirements through interviews, surveys, or analysis of user feedback.
- Classify using Kano questionnaires: for each feature, two questions are asked (how the user feels if it is present and how they feel if it is absent), and the answer is classified into one of the five categories.
- Prioritize the Product Backlog: exciters and performance needs generate more perceived value than investing in basic features that are already met.
- Iterate: the categories are not permanent. What is an exciter today may become a basic need as users grow accustomed to it.
Kano and AI Features
Features based on generative AI tend to move very quickly through the Kano categories. A capability that was a differentiating exciter in 2023—such as automatic summary generation or writing assistance—can become a basic need within a matter of months, as users incorporate it into their minimum expectations. Teams building AI products should review their Kano analyses more frequently than they would for traditional products.
Common mistake
Investing in exciters before covering the basics. A product with innovative features but with flaws in security, performance, or basic usability will generate net dissatisfaction, because unmet basic needs weigh more heavily in the user's perception than well-implemented exciters.
Tool
📊 Online Kano ToolScrum Manager · Free access
Resources
🎙️ Ep. 3: Cómo se crea una historia de usuario [How a user story is created, in Spanish]Scrum Manager Podcast · Spotify
References
- Kano, Noriaki et al. (1984). "Attractive quality and must-be quality". The Journal of the Japanese Society for Quality Control, 14(2), 39–48.
See also
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