Franck DebaneDigital Evolution

Kano framework, classification of user needs

By Updated 1 min read Innovation

In the guide Value proposition and pricing

Kano chart of customer satisfaction against need fulfillment with four curves, next to a presenter gesturing in a yellow room

As part of the design course by Karl T. Ulrich (pictured) that I follow on coursera.org (great site btw, which is changing access to knowledge in a very significant way), I came across the Kano framework to classify user needs. Vertically is the user satisfaction (if the user is satisfied or not) and horizontally is if the need is addressed or not (or can be partly addressed). Here is the framework:
Karl Ulrich presenting the Kano framework: customer satisfaction against how fully a need is met, with the don’t care, linear, must have and latent needs curves

User needs can be plotted in 4 curves which are:

  • Don’t care: either it’s here or not, but not all users care: for instance on a search engine it could be the need to search for images.
  • Linear: the better it’s done, the more satisfied the user. For the search engine, it could be to find an answer to the query, this is provided by the relevance of the search results.
  • Must have: If it’s not there, the user is unhappy. For a search engine, it could be a way to enter the search query (search box).
  • Latent: Little things, unexpected, that create delight. For instance the ‘see from cache’ or ‘translate page’.

Franck Debane helps large companies build new ventures with Forward Partners: about a hundred programmes in more than 50 companies since 2012. He wrote Passez en mode startup (Eyrolles, 2021) and organises the Lead Innovation Day.