Customers don't know what they want? Think again.

It's a claim that goes back in many development and product environments:
‍

“The customer doesn't know what they want.”
‍

And to some extent, that may be true. Many customers do not come with a ready-made solution description or technical specifications. But to interpret this as meaning that the customer does not know what they need, is to misunderstand the entire starting point of user-focused innovation.

Customers often know exactly what problems they have -- and where the shoe presses. They know the frustrations, bottlenecks and everyday challenges far better than you do. It's just that they may not speak your language -- and that's where you come in.

‍

An important distinction: Solution vs. need

A common trap in product development is to confuse the customer's lack of solution proposal with a lack of insight. But there is a significant difference between saying:

• “I want an app with these features.”
  vs.
• “It takes me 30 minutes to do something that should have taken five.”

The last statement points straight to a need. Your job is to translate this need into a solution -- not to expect the customer to define what it should look like technologically. The customer should not be the solution architect. The customer must be the problem owner.

‍

Why you don't have the answer -- until you've asked the questions

It doesn't help how technically competent or creative you are—you don't use the product in everyday life the way customers do. It is easy to be dazzled by your own ideas, solutions and innovation potential. But technology that doesn't solve real problems quickly turns to noise.

Instead of assuming, you should do this:

• Talk to your customers. Not to sell, but to learn.
• Observe how the product is used. When, where and why does the flow stop?
• Ask open-ended questions. What makes you frustrated? What do you spend the most time on? What are you trying to accomplish?
• Test your hypotheses early. Don't wait until after launch to check if what you're building actually hits.

‍

When technology leads, you often go the wrong way

It's tempting to build “because we can.” Many tech teams fall in love with solutions that are exciting, elegant or innovative — but have no demand. This is the recipe for expensive misinvestments.

Examples of common mistakes:

• Building new functionality without users having expressed a need for it
• Optimizing details that no one really cares about
• Using advanced technology to solve simple problems that already have working solutions

‍

It's not about what's possible -- it's about what's meaningful.

‍

What happens when you listen?

When you take the time to understand your customers' needs, something powerful happens:

• You build solutions people will actually use
• You get higher customer satisfaction and loyalty
• You reduce errors, rework and “dead features”
• You make your investments more accurate
• You create products that stand out in the market

You no longer build “for customers” — you build along with them.

‍

Conclusion: Stop assuming -- start understanding

Customers do not need to know exactly what they want in a technical sense. But they know what it feels like to struggle with cluttered systems, cumbersome processes or lack of functionality. They know when something is frustrating -- and when something is actually working.

Your job is not to solve what you assume is important. Your job is to identify real problems and build solutions that deliver real value.

Because when you solve the right problems, both the customer and the business win. Innovation is not only possible — it is measurable.