Analysing the results of your Kano study

Over the past 30 years, a lot of alternatives to the standard Kano analysis format have been developed and tested in an attempt to make it a purely quantitative method.

In my experience, the original lookup table analysis covers most if not all of your needs. The important thing to remember is that what you’re measuring is the customer’s subjective perception of value. The Kano method is not a purely quantitative method. Trying to make it so is futile. Understanding customers is at least as much of an art as it is a science.

I also believe that many attempts to make more sense of the method are based on the unfortunate mistranslation of the Must-be Natural and Acceptable types of answers.

If you take care that your survey is in line with the spirit of the Kano method, the original analysis method will yield great results.

This does not mean the results will be unequivocal. But with a thorough understanding of the Kano method you will be able interpret that ambiguity and use it as a guide for further exploration.

Don't try and make sense of the outcome of your Kano study by trying out all the different alternative analysis methods. If you didn't take the time to think your survey through before you administered it, the results will not make sense. Trying out all the different analysis methods will not your problem.