First rule of a Kano study

For every Kano study you do, keep one basic principle in mind: what is it that you want to know? How you write your questions and answers depends on what you're trying to find out.

In essence, a Kano survey tells you how customers perceive the value of your product's features. This means you must:

• Define what about these features you want to know. Are you wondering whether they have any value at all, or do you have doubts about the details of their implementation?

• Understand how your customers think. You're aiming for a value judgement, so customers must be able to relate to your questions. They must understand what you're asking of them. This requires a good understanding of the customer context.

You will only get valuable results from your study if the answers you get make sense. If you receive answers that don't tell you what to do with a feature, blame your questions. Don’t confuse customers or ask them to make the mental effort of seeing things your way.

A badly prepared and administered Kano study is frustrating for both you and your customers. But what's worse is that you may be making decisions based on unreliable outcomes.