Here’s Why You’ll Hate the Apple Watch (and the Important Business Lesson You Need to Know)
Here’s the Gist:
Dr. Noriaki Kano developed a revealing model for understanding how various product features affect customer happiness.
A “delightful” feature is an attribute of the product customers love but do not expect — for example, new apps in the app store.
A “linear” feature is one the user expects and more of that quality increases satisfaction — think more battery life.
A “hygienic” feature is a must-have. Customers not only expect these attributes, they depend on them — for example, reliably telling the time on a watch.
To save battery life, Apple designed the Apple Watch to only display the time when it thinks you’re looking at it. This violates a hygienic feature and will annoy users.
However, like the first versions of the iPhone, users will forgive the watch’s flaws if the delightful features (namely the apps in the App store) knock their socks off.
Products can win markets by ensuring their “delighter” features compensate for flaws.
