I recently came across an article about identifying product features that delight customers. As a product designer, I often have to choose between feature A and feature B for YourSiteMate.com and YourSchoolMate.com. I think this is not only relevant to product designers but also to service providers. The article gave me some perspective around product feature prioritization, which I tend to do subconsciously.
Developed by Prof. Kano, the Kano model categorises customer needs into three types of features.
1. Basic Qualities/Features-Customers expect this basic qualities/features in a product and a product is considered under quality when these features are lacking. For example, car buyers consider reliability(cars that don’t breakdown) as a basic feature of a car. Also high levels of customer satisfaction are hard to achieve by excelling in these areas.
2. Linear Qualities/Features-The level of customer satisfaction increases with more or better of the linear quality/feature. For example, the customer satisfaction increase as the miles per gallon(mpg) increases in a new car model. But the customer is typically excited only at high levels of achievements. For example, you might be able to delight your customer only when you offer upwards of 40 mpg.
3. Delighter Features-These features excites the customer even at low levels of achievement. Delighter features tend to be novel and can differentiate a product from its competitors. For example, adding a GPS device as a standard feature in a camry or 4Runner would delight me.Very important, if you are a later entrant into the market.
A feature that is a delighter in camry could be a basic quality in the higher segment Lexus.
Thanks Prof. Kano for putting it in simple words.
March 18, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Some times a set of features which may not be high tech or can add value too….especially if they are wanted by most of your customers. If we take a car, improving convinience factor by making changes to cup holders can improve one’s perception towards a particular brand (car maker). so here it is more of better market research to find out about simple things that customers would like to have and some times you learn about these by observing the customers use our product.
It may be irrelavant to this topic but I just thought of putting down my thoughts after reading the original post.
Uday
March 19, 2008 at 9:22 am
A really cool low-tech feature is the handrest of my 4Runner. Basically the handrest in many SUVs driver’s seat is also the cover/top for the middle-of-front-seats compartment/storage/coin holder. Like many people, when I get into the vehicle I rest my right hand (leaning my body-weight) on the handrest/cover of the compartment, as I get into the SUV. In my heavy-friend’s SUV(Ford Sport Trac) the top/cover broke under pressure as he repeatedly put his weight on it while getting into the vehicle. Basically the handrest/cover was not designed to bear his weight/pressure and was only designed to bear the weight of hands. In my 4Runner, I noticed that the handrest is built strong and heavy to handle this kind of leaning on it.
It was nice to note that Toyota had taken an unlikely use into consideration, while designing the top of the compartment.