The 3 qualities of a great product

There are 3 main qualities that make a great product, according to the Kano model. Each of these 3 qualities speaks to a distinct response we can observe in users to the way a product behaves. If one of these qualities is neglected in the product development process, then we risk creating a lack-luster offering which is not likely to be competitive or profitable.

Created by Dr. Noriaki Kano in 1984, a professor of quality management at the Tokyo University of Science, the Kano model suggests that there is a way to map out the investment put into product features & functionality against measures of customer satisfaction.

Fig A

A trend emerges when these three qualities are plotted onto a graph with two axes: x = Product Function and y =Customer Satisfaction

Product Function is simply whether or not the features of a product work as intended. It’s a measure of affordances being given to the user, and in a way, it’s also a measure of the investment being made into the product. Maintaining and improving product functionality is a direct reflection of the investment being made by the team.

So what are these three qualities, and what do they mean?

1. Threshold Qualities (Basics)

“The product behaves in a way I expect”

Threshold qualities are the features that are expected in a product. They are must-be features that make the product functional at the minimum, and so you won’t usually hear customers rave about these features to their family and friends. Without these attributes, the product would simply be incomplete. If this product is introduced to people without examining these features first, it may not even be possible to enter the market. In product design terms, Threshold qualities would make up your minimum viable product. Let’s take a toothbrush, for example, A stick with a handle and a working end with bristles, small enough to fit in the mouth and at the bare minimum, can brush teeth. Nothing fancy, no-frills — it just gets the job done.

2. Performance Qualities (Satisfiers).

“The product behaves painlessly, and I am happy to use it again”

Performance qualities are features that are described as one-dimensional because its these features that management tends to focus on to drive performance-related results. The presence of a feature with a performance quality has already been determined to have a direct positive impact on a KPI (key performance indicator). Product teams will speak a lot about these features internally, and a lot of effort is made to ensure that they are delivered because they have been proven to bring results. Performance qualities don’t need to be features that are unique to a particular brand, and in fact, they are often common industry practices. It’s within the performance qualities that companies tend to compete most. Generally speaking, more effort and time taken to deliver the best experience within these features will result in increased customer satisfaction.

Investing in these features can help elevate a product from a minimum viable product to a minimum loveable product. Performance qualities take more into account trade-offs to ensure that its features stay within the bounds of a reasonable price that both users and the business can expect to pay with their money and their time. Taking the toothbrush example again: We might describe its handle made with an ergonomic design, sturdy enough to endure plenty of use, and the bristles shouldn’t cause the user any pain. It is widely available and accessible to its user base.

3. Excitement Qualities (Delighters).

“The product behaves better than others on the market”

Often described as unique selling propositions, excitement qualities are the features & functionality which pose the greatest opportunity to innovate and create a highly competitive product offering. They are the things that delight the user. Customers experiencing these features didn’t know that they wanted it until they had experienced it, and this speaks to unmet or latent needs within customers. It is these features that are talked about amongst friends and family because they weren’t something they had expected. While the toothbrush example shown below is an exaggeration of this quality, the idea is that these features fit the criteria of what users really want at a cost they can afford.

Over time and as an industry matures, the features that qualify as Excitement qualities will naturally move down the chart and become Performance or Threshold qualities. These features are likely to be copied by competitors, and in some cases, these features could become a useless novelty. In other cases, highly useful features that are really unique to a brand can be made proprietary to give a product a competitive edge.

Additional to this, are two other qualities that the Kano model describes which a feature may fall under: Indifferent qualities and Reverse qualities. Indifferent qualities are features users respond to neutrally. An example of this could be something in the back-end which does not concern the user much or impact their decision making. Reverse qualities describe features when introduced have a retracting effect on the user. An example of this could be the use of too much jargon or imagery that alienates the user.

Why should I use this model?

Seeing how the features and functionality of your product fit into the Kano model can help us understand where efforts are best placed to ensure that the product meets threshold qualities, performance qualities, and excitement qualities to create a strong product.

Fig B

In fig B, we can see that in the bottom right, a product that only meets the functionality of just Threshold attributes will not meet even a level of indifference in the user.

This is why it’s so important to know what customers expect by asking them what they perceive are their basic needs and wants out of a product. It’s only when a product also has Performance and Excitement qualities that we can see customer satisfaction push above a level of indifference and into high levels of satisfaction. The Kano model provides a framework to help you identify these features so you can analyze how they are being perceived by your users.

The Kano model questionnaire

The Kano model suggests using this standardized questionnaire shown above to measure the opinion of users to help you gauge where your product features fit on this model. Once you’ve collected responses, you can use the table below to see which quality this feature best aligns with.

Through interviews and questionnaires, customers can tell us clearly which features and functionality are needed for them to feel satisfied with a product. However, there are some things that users want but cannot articulate. If users could tell us all the features they want, then they would probably already be using them. We must be able to understand our customer’s needs far better than they can articulate them.

The Kano model can help us contextualize your product within its competitive landscape, as well as give us an idea of what our customer’s needs and expectations are to prompt ideas for innovation. This is where we can use a bit of imagination to translate the findings from the Kano model into effective practice.

The UX Collective donates US$1 for each article published in our platform. This story contributed to Bay Area Black Designers: a professional development community for Black people who are digital designers and researchers in the San Francisco Bay Area. By joining together in community, members share inspiration, connection, peer mentorship, professional development, resources, feedback, support, and resilience. Silence against systemic racism is not an option. Build the design community you believe in.