Chapter 1: The Essence of User Needs

Understanding user needs is crucial for effective product design. This task aims to enhance comprehension of what users truly require.

Henry Ford famously remarked:

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

This quote underscores the importance of grasping user needs. While people expressed a desire for speedy horses, Ford recognized that they actually sought quicker transportation. He understood the underlying need, leading to the revolutionary Model T.

The Ford Model T represented a significant solution to a common problem. (Photo by Philip Schroeder on Unsplash). A profound understanding of user needs enables designers to create products that genuinely resonate with individuals. Moreover, it provides clarity to stakeholders about the rationale behind design choices.

Over the past two years, I have focused on mentoring junior designers to enhance their understanding of product design, both through private sessions and as a team leader. In this article, I will present an exercise aimed at clarifying the concept of "user needs." I hope this will aid junior designers in grasping the concept more effectively. Additionally, team leaders and educators can utilize this exercise to assist design students and emerging designers.

From my observations, many educational institutions teach user needs through methods like user interviews, empathy mapping, and persona creation. While I occasionally employ personas to align product teams (including product managers, developers, QA testers, and designers) with the user, I find these approaches overly technical. Often, the focus on speed in these courses leads junior designers to create user personas and empathy maps mechanically, without truly engaging with the user’s experience.

When interviewing new designers for my team, I often notice that they explain the design process in a robotic manner. When pressed for specifics, they struggle to articulate user needs beyond what is documented in the user persona.

Section 1.1: A More Effective Approach

To better understand users and their needs, I suggest starting with an exercise that isn’t tied to a specific app or website. This allows students to concentrate solely on user needs.

The exercise involves selecting a person you know well and finding a gift that addresses one of their needs.

Subsection 1.1.1: Steps to Follow

1. Choose someone you know intimately—this could be a family member, partner, or close friend.
2. Identify their needs.
3. Select a gift that resolves one of these needs.

This exercise emphasizes understanding the user’s needs and providing a solution. Since students are familiar with the person they choose, they can quickly identify their needs without conducting formal interviews. The gift must address a real issue, and students should justify their choice by explaining why they believe the recipient needs it.

Although it’s not mandatory to purchase the gift, students might find value in doing so, as it allows them to observe whether the recipient utilizes it. To ensure affordability, I recommend setting a price limit.

Chapter 2: The Challenge of Understanding Needs

The first video, "UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate," delves into the crucial stages of understanding user needs, providing insights into the UX design process.

The second video, "What is Task Analysis? - UX Design Courses," offers an overview of task analysis in UX design, helping designers better understand user needs.

While this task may seem straightforward, it highlights the complexities of truly understanding people and their needs. We often receive gifts that, while given with good intentions, may not be useful.

Here are two illustrative examples:

1. Buying a Kitchen Knife for a Friend: Imagine a friend moving into a new home who enjoys cooking. After visiting, you notice they lack essential kitchen tools. You decide to gift them a high-quality chef’s knife. However, you must consider which type of knife best suits their cooking style.

2. Purchasing an AirTag for a Forgetful Friend: For a friend who often misplaces her bag, you decide to buy her an AirTag. This simple solution alleviates her stress by enabling her to track her belongings effectively.

To summarize, my objective in this article was to present a technique that clarifies what it means to understand "user needs." I discussed why traditional educational methods might fall short and provided a simple exercise, along with two illustrative examples.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it helpful in explaining user needs to students and junior designers. Please feel free to share this with colleagues or friends, and reach out if you have any questions.

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