Kano model

The Kano model is like a game that helps people who make things figure out what things to make. Imagine that you love ice cream and you want to make a big sundae. You have to decide what toppings to put on it. Some toppings, like chocolate syrup, make you very happy. Other toppings, like green beans, do not make you happy. The Kano model helps you figure out which toppings will make people happy, and which ones will not.

The Kano model has three types of features that people want in things: must-have features, performance features, and delight features. Must-have features are like the bowl for the sundae - you absolutely must have a bowl to put the sundae in. You won't be happy without it. Performance features are things that make the sundae better - like whipped cream. More whipped cream makes you more happy, but not having any doesn't make you unhappy. Delight features are unexpected things that make you very happy - like a cherry on top of your sundae.

Sometimes, it can be hard to tell which type of feature something is. For example, if you are making a robot vacuum, you might think that a must-have feature is that it sucks up dirt. But really, people expect that from a robot vacuum - so it is actually a performance feature. A must-have feature might be that the robot vacuum is easy to clean.

Using the Kano model, you can make things that people really like. You make sure that you have all the must-have features, then you add performance features to make it better, and add delight features to make it amazing. And that's how you make a really great sundae, or a robot vacuum that everyone wants!