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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryStrategy & FrameworksKano Model

Strategy & Frameworks

Kano Model

Noriaki Kano's 1984 model classifying product features as basic must-haves, performance attributes or delighters by their effect on satisfaction.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

The Kano Model is Noriaki Kano's 1984 framework that classifies product features by their effect on customer satisfaction: basic must-haves, performance attributes and delighters. Missing basics cause dissatisfaction, performance features scale satisfaction, and delighters surprise. Teams use it to prioritize features and understand which ones differentiate a product.