Breaking Down the Model

Kano’s model states that there are three kinds of customer expectations. The first level is the basic characteristics. These are the things that customers expect, don’t ask for, and take for granted. If you don’t provide them, customers will be dissatisfied. If you do provide them, you won’t get any brownie points.

The second type is performance characteristics. These are the things that customers want but don’t need. An example might be free bonus items or faster delivery. The more of these that you can offer, the more satisfied the customer will be.

Lastly, we have the value-added characteristics. These are the things that the customer doesn’t expect, so if they aren’t present, they won’t be dissatisfied. However, if you can offer one of these experiences to your customers, their satisfaction levels will increase exponentially.