A fuzzy Kano model proposal for sustainable product design: Mobile application feature analysis

Abstract

Companies aim to maximize profits by effectively designing mobile applications to promote their services in a competitive market. However, identifying the design features that significantly impact mobile applications is challenging due to their subjective nature. Traditional Kano approaches face limitations, such as information loss caused by considering only the most frequent values. To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel fuzzy Kano approach to better manage the subjectivity in human judgments and the uncertainty in user preferences. This approach uncovers hidden preference levels, accounts for uncertainties, resolves dual classification issues, compares membership degrees, and emphasizes subtle details that may otherwise be overlooked. The fuzzy Kano approach was applied to survey data from 100 participants, covering 33 mobile application features. By classifying these features, the fuzzy Kano model examined their influence on user satisfaction and quality perception. The results demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method, identifying key features—such as Product Details, Order Management and Returns, and Product Opinions and Reviews—that, if absent, could lead to customer dissatisfaction. Additionally, the findings revealed significant differences between the fuzzy and traditional Kano models and highlighted variations in mobile application characteristics across different demographic groups, providing valuable insights for mobile application design.