> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.productbrain.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Kano Classification

> Must-have, incremental, or delighter. What satisfaction tier is this bet targeting?

Kano classification describes the **market maturity tier** of an approach. It answers: what level of satisfaction is this bet targeting?

## The three tiers

### Must-have

Table stakes. Causes dissatisfaction if absent, no delight if present. Users expect this. They won't thank you for it, but they'll leave without it.

**Examples:** Basic authentication, terms of service page, data export, error messages.

### Incremental

More is better, each improvement adds proportional value. The user notices and appreciates each step up, but there's no surprise.

**Examples:** Faster load times, more storage, better search results, self-serve billing.

### Delighter

Unexpected and disproportionately satisfying. Users didn't know they wanted this. When it lands, it generates word-of-mouth and loyalty.

**Examples:** AI-assisted planning, proactive coaching, one-click import from existing tools.

## The car window example

The classic Kano illustration: car windows.

* **Must-have:** The window opens and closes (manual crank)
* **Incremental:** Power windows (each car gets them, each is a step up)
* **Delighter:** Auto-close on rain detection (nobody expected it, everyone loves it)

Over time, delighters become must-haves. Power windows were a delighter in the 1980s. Today, a car without them fails as a must-have.

## Why it matters for planning

A healthy product has a mix of all three tiers:

* **Early stage:** Cover must-haves first, then sprinkle delighters to differentiate. Skip incremental. You don't have enough users for linear improvements to matter.
* **Growth stage:** Backfill incremental improvements. Your must-haves work, your delighters attracted users, now the incremental work retains them.
* **Mature stage:** Must-haves are commoditized, incremental is the baseline. New delighters are your competitive edge.

Kano classification helps you see this balance. If all your approaches are must-have, you're building table stakes but not differentiating. If they're all delighters, you're innovating but might be missing fundamentals.

## Where Kano lives

Kano is set on **approaches**, not needs. The same need can have approaches at different tiers, that's the whole point. A need like "users can compare prices" might have a must-have approach (manual entry), an incremental approach (barcode scan), and a delighter approach (AI prediction from photos).