Kano analysis (market research)

Kano analysis is a technique used in market research to understand customer preferences and how product or service features influence satisfaction. Developed by Professor Noriaki Kano in the 1980s, it helps organisations prioritise features that delight customers, meet expectations, or risk dissatisfaction.

Key concepts:

Basic needs (must-be features): Features that customers expect. If these are missing or poorly executed, customers will be dissatisfied, but improving them beyond expectations usually doesn’t increase satisfaction.
Performance needs (one-dimensional features): Features where satisfaction is proportional to performance. The better they are delivered, the higher the customer satisfaction.
Excitement needs (delighters): Features that customers don’t expect. If present, they create high satisfaction; if absent, customers are not dissatisfied.
Indifferent features: Features that don’t significantly affect satisfaction.
Reverse features: Features that some customers like but others may dislike.

Uses in market research:

Product and service development: Prioritising features based on their impact on customer satisfaction.
Segmentation: Understanding which features different customer segments value most.
Innovation and differentiation: Identifying potential 'delighters' to stand out in the market.
Customer satisfaction analysis: Linking feature performance to overall satisfaction levels.

DJS Research utilises Kano analysis to guide product strategy, feature prioritisation, and innovation planning, helping clients make decisions that maximise satisfaction and customer loyalty.

Why partner with DJS Research?

We build small, director-led, teams of sector experts who are with you from brief to debrief. As an employee-owned company, every one of us is invested in delivering quality, value, and long-term impact.

From agile testing to deep-dive strategic studies, we design research to meet your specific objectives. The agility of our in-house operations team and strength of our UK-wide recruiter network enable seamless execution at scale.

Our sector-focused teams have decades of experience understanding audiences and the complexities of the markets in which our clients operate. Working collaboratively we deliver actionable insight which drives positive change.

Kano analysis (market research)

Kano analysis (market research)

Why partner with DJS Research?

We are small enough. We are big enough. We are DJS Research

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