The Kano Model is a tool commonly used in the product
development process to help classify customer wants and needs
into one of three main categories. The first category is called
Basic Needs. Basic Needs are customer needs that are usually
unspoken unless they are violated. These types of needs don’t
add to the overall customer satisfaction of the product, but
they can take away from the satisfaction level if they are not
met. An example of a Basic Need in an automobile is its ability
to keep water from entering the inside of the car and getting
the driver wet. A car owner never runs over to his neighbor and
brags about how well his new car keeps water out; this is
because it is expected. However, if his new car leaked water on
him when he went through the car wash, you bet he would complain
to his neighbor about that! The second category is called
Performance Needs. Performance Needs are things that the
customer will most likely talk about in everyday conversation.
These types of needs add to the customers