Kano's Theories of Customer Satisfaction, Terminology

Kano’s model divided the quality of products into three parts.

1. Dissatisfies, this characteristics of quality that customers expect which they can either inform or not inform. However, if this characteristic is missing, customers will become dissatisfied immediately. For example, the quality of the product, wallet should have nice seam with no defect on the leather or TV should have correct manual and all buttons are able to use. All these things are very important to customers. By the way, the operator can check their customers’ complaint through the customer service center or dealers because if the products cannot meet customers’ need, they will complaint immediately.

2. Satisfies, this is the characteristic of quality that customers prefer to have in the product. The more of this characteristic in the products, the more customers’ satisfaction will be toward the product. For example, the faster speed of computers, Microsoft Office that easier to use, more memory capacity of mobile phone or quicker customer service. After customers satisfy in any products, they will then consider other aspects later such as lower price on the similar product and so on.

3. Delighter, this quality characteristic will allow customers surprise or exceed their expectation because customers do not have any expectation at the beginning. By the way, if the product lack of this characteristic, it does not affect any negative feeling on customers. In business perspective, this characteristic is an important variable that making a difference to the product. For example, reading light at the rear car seat, cup holder in a car or even rapidly changing product such as mobile phones. Customers can be delighted from multi-language smartphone which can play music, can take a photo, can use as organizer as well as support operation system and applications. All these features add lots of value to the products. However, in the future the competitors may develop products that will make these special features become customer standard expectation immediately such as nowadays mobile phone that taking photo and play music become standard feature or standard expectation.

Kano’s model that can divided into three parts which are Dissatisfies, which is a part of product that must not missing, Satisfies, which is a part that need to develop more and more to impress customers, and Delighter, a part that will surprise customers which the designers and developers have to work on to create the outstanding features of the products towards customers which will of course can increase sales and customers.