How can you identify user needs that are not immediately obvious?

In my experience, uncovering some needs and insights requires spending more than an hour or two with people - immersing yourself more in their context. I once spent a full day observing the staging of office furniture to be delivered and installed in customer facilities. After the first few hours I thought I had a pretty good handle on the installers' and warehouse workers' tasks and needs and it got boring. But only later did I see things I overlooked earlier - important nuances in what they were doing. On another project, two teammates completed the training required for airport security screeners and then worked the security checkpoint on a very busy shift. They came away with much more empathy for the emotional part of the job.

I might've mentioned it in a previous article, gonna mention it here as well; research is too much important. You lessen your hustle upto 60% by just conducting a successful survey of the end users.

Based on what the product/service is, gather insights on "Being The User" yourself. The non-obviousness of user needs depends on the product offering. Segment the market to analyze user needs. Connect with the users to identify the market segments that would be most excited about the product/service and the ones that wouldn't. Ask yourself why that is, and back it up with sufficient market samples. In my user experience, product use over time is the ultimate test to figure out pain points, frustrations, and unmet needs. Having realistic timeboxes to gather iterative feedback on what can be improved upon/reworked by engaging in contextual inquiries, usability testing, etc. can be crucial for the next steps.

I would add that there are two types of user observation: Controlled Observation, conducted in a lab with a focus on quantitative data; and Naturalistic Observation, studying users in real-life settings, emphasizing qualitative insights. In controlled observation, reproducibility and easy analysis are advantages, but the Hawthorne Effect may be a drawback. Naturalistic observation offers more reliability and ideation benefits, yet faces challenges in representative sampling, replicability, and external variable manipulation. Both approaches consider the context, providing valuable insights when combined with other research methods.

It takes a combination of data analysis, observation, empathy, and active listening to identify user needs that are not immediately apparent. The following are some tactics: 1. To acquire information straight from users, conduct surveys and user interviews. 2. To observe how consumers engage with goods or services in their natural settings, conduct observational research. 3. Examine support tickets, comments from users, and user feedback to identify problem areas and places that could use improvement. 4. Use usability testing to see how consumers interact with interfaces and spot places where they get lost or frustrated. 5. Track user behavior and spot trends or patterns by using analytics tools.

Your designs speak a universal language. Simplify complexity, convey ideas, and bridge gaps between cultures and languages. It’s not just about pretty visuals, it’s about usability. Balance between form and function is important.

Pose open-ended questions during interviews or surveys to encourage users to share more detailed and nuanced information. Instead of asking yes/no questions, inquire about their experiences, challenges, and aspirations. This approach allows users to express needs that may not have been on your radar.

Ask open ended question is the best way to find out user needs, so evaluate your open ended questions wisely. By online form to direct talk with users open end questions helps everyone. Write down questions think how this question help find needs refine and test, don’t worry lot of users not refer yes no and it’s fine just refine questions based user base and ask again.

I often ask clients to show me tear outs of what they like, what mood they want, what colors speak to them. Then we analyze their choices together. Clients react instinctively and emotionally. what often emerges is a single detail most would consider irrelevant in the picture as a whole, but becomes a detail that can drive a design direction.

Open-ended questions need to be artfully proposed. There is a possibility they can quickly derail the conversation and move into an unintended area that won't help flush out what is under question. Before such a question is asked, a dozen good questions need to be mulled over to construct the correct phrasing that'll propel the discussion/interview/group forward. That said, there might not be a right answer to an open-ended question; perhaps what arises from such a question is a secondary question(s) that is more refined and therefore is a step toward identifying what is needed.

It all comes down to asking the right questions, empathizing with the user, and collecting the right kind and amount of data with thorough research. As a user and researcher, my view of effective data analysis, in this context, should entail encapsulating the user’s needs, wants, and must-haves to facilitate an exciting product. Adapting various analysis techniques and AI tools while ensuring to mitigate bias, can contribute towards extracting valuable insights and shaping the roadmap of the product/service in the competitive market space. Paying attention to the smallest details can be pivotal in making informed, data-driven decisions to meet or even surpass the goals of the product vision.

Numbers talk, but not always clearly. Dive into data – website clicks, surveys, reviews – to uncover hidden user patterns. Analyse what they do, not just say. Segment groups, track trends, and gauge sentiment. It's like deciphering a secret code to unlock user needs and preferences.

Utilize quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques to uncover patterns and trends in user behavior. Mining data from user interactions, feedback forms, or support channels can reveal unexpected needs. Look beyond surface-level metrics to gain a deeper understanding of user motivations and pain points.

Totally agree, I feel that this is the easiest way to identify user behaviour. For example, humans have muscle memory, when Instagram wanted its reel feature to recognised, it studied where the user was clicking the most and had formed muscle memory with that button, it swapped the ‘notification’ button with the ‘reel’ button for the user to tap the reel button subconsciously. That action is what made reels more recognised and popular. This was done by analysing user data.

Totally agree, I feel that this is the easiest way to identify user behaviour. For example, humans have muscle memory, when Instagram wanted its reel feature to recognised, it studied where the user was clicking the most and had formed muscle memory with that button, it swapped the ‘notification’ button with the ‘reel’ button for the user to tap the reel button subconsciously. That action is what made reels more recognised and popular. This was done by analysing user data.

With real personas designers can beat lot of biases including confirmation biases and empathise. Don’t create unrealistic personas it’s just showing your personality or needs from different perspectives this can lead to wrong users needs. Like I m working on social media apps so I refer take my close friends persona it’s helps me to think and ask their perspective and needs for persona.

Developing user personas involves synthesizing information about your target audience. By aggregating data and insights, you can identify common characteristics, behaviors, and needs across user segments. Personas help humanize users, making it easier to identify needs that may not be immediately obvious within the broader user base.

Personas should not be overly detailed or based solely on personal biases. Avoid making assumptions without proper research or creating too many personas that dilute focus. It's essential to regularly update personas with new insights and avoid stereotyping or generalizing user groups.

Crear perfiles de usuario es una estrategia efectiva para comprender las necesidades de los usuarios. Estas representaciones ficticias, basadas en datos recopilados previamente, permiten una empatía más profunda. Los perfiles encapsulan objetivos, desafíos y expectativas, brindando una visión holística. Utilizando herramientas como plantillas o software, se pueden desarrollar perfiles que guíen las decisiones de dise?o y sirvan como referencia al probar soluciones. Esta cuarta vía proporciona una perspectiva valiosa para adaptar productos o servicios de manera más precisa a las expectativas y requerimientos reales de los usuarios.

I like to keep things simple sometimes and ask myself two questions. ? What do users need to have? ? And what is nice to have? "Need to have" refers to essential functions or features that are crucial for the user. "Nice to have" refers to a desire or want and is not integral to the user. Prioritizing user needs this way helps keep things short and to the point.

Utilize established frameworks like the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework or the Kano Model to uncover latent user needs. These frameworks provide structured approaches for understanding the underlying motivations and expectations that drive user behavior. They can guide your exploration beyond surface-level requirements.

La aplicación de marcos de necesidades de usuarios representa una quinta y valiosa metodología para entender las necesidades de los usuarios. Estos modelos o teorías facilitan la categorización y priorización de dichas necesidades en base a criterios específicos o dimensiones. Los marcos proporcionan una estructura eficaz para comunicar las necesidades de los usuarios, alineándolas con los objetivos y estrategias de dise?o. Ejemplos notables incluyen la jerarquía de necesidades de Maslow, el modelo de Kano, los trabajos por realizar y el lienzo de propuesta de valor. Al emplear estos marcos, se logra una comprensión más profunda y sistemática de las necesidades, permitiendo un dise?o más centrado en el usuario y una satisfacción óptima.

Ask a customer to buy your product now and the first three questions will be potential blocks. Based on these answers, you can start to build a persuasion strategy for the sales journey.

Validate user needs through user testing, prototyping, or iterative design processes. By involving users in the validation phase, you can uncover needs that may not have been evident in the initial stages of research. Iterative testing allows you to refine your understanding of user needs based on real-world user interactions and feedback.

Ask a buyer to buy your product right now, and the first three questions will be possible roadblocks. Based on these responses, you may begin to develop a persuasive plan for the sales process.

5 effective ways to uncover user needs: 1. Implement usability testing to observe how users interact with your product and identify pain points or areas of confusion. 2. Analyze customer feedback, including comments, reviews, and support tickets, to glean insights into user frustrations and desires. 3. Use data analytics tools to track user behavior patterns and identify areas of opportunity for improvement. 4. Conduct surveys and polls to gather quantitative data on user preferences, satisfaction levels, and unmet needs. 5. Stay curious and open-minded, continuously seeking feedback and actively listening to users to adapt to evolving needs and expectations.

Reference user personas from actual, real-life users of the product. Remember, you're solving a "human" problem, not a fictional problem. It may be arguable that it is easier sometimes to create users from imagination; it is a fact, however, that products have failed because they didn't give users what they needed. Besides, there are just too many users to be adding fictional ones, don't you think? It is always important to know your real users, their personalities, and how they go about the product from start to finish. If you don't have users, find them. There's always someone willing to use it if you're looking.

It Depends on what kind of user needs we are evaluating for !? as most of the evaluation comes with ones expertise in the particular subject line which is why we say experience matters the most. In terms of Architectural Design, Most of the cases design concepts were initiated based on the standard industry practice. Developer guidelines. in addition to that one only evaluates user needs based on client budget & ROI needs, type of usage,Location and catchment analysis, make it unique with design features or user friendly amenities which are not easily available in the surroundings. Some can be a revenue generating options which will put less expenditure on the facilitator and the end users on a longer run!!

Um aspecto que poderia ser explorado adicionalmente é a importancia da interdisciplinaridade na identifica??o das necessidades do usuário. Por exemplo, a integra??o de conhecimentos de psicologia, sociologia e até antropologia pode enriquecer a compreens?o das motiva??es e comportamentos dos usuários. Além disso, a colabora??o entre diferentes áreas, como design, marketing e engenharia, pode facilitar uma abordagem mais holística e inovadora na solu??o de problemas e no atendimento às necessidades dos usuários.

Personas can improve communication within a team. Each members can have a shared understanding of who their users are, leading to more consistent and effective decision-making.