Take that extra step to think from user's behalf

In my recent meetings, I have been hearing project heads talking continously about user personas in the most subtle way possible. Certainly, in the realm of design, it's essential to maintain a continuous dialogue with users. While it's tempting to adhere solely to the principle of "give users what they ask for," I guess we are soon going to share "evernote's" famous case study experience which highlights a crucial lesson: paying attention to user requests alone can lead to a product that, while appreciated by existing users, becomes overwhelming and perplexing for new users due to feature overload and lack of intuitiveness. Instincts and design go hand in hand, isen't it ?

Designers must go the extra mile. It's not just about fulfilling every user request; it's about empathetically understanding their needs. And this means pondering on behalf of the users: Do they truly need what they're asking for? why we are not raising these questions? Could their requirements be met through a simpler solution? Is it possible to address multiple user issues through a single, thoughtful redesign, instead of a series of isolated changes? Not many are envisioned in this direction.......yet.

The key principle here is a combination of active listening and proactive thinking. Engage with users consistently, but also invest the necessary time and effort to discern what institutions and educators genuinely need, even beyond what they explicitly state. It's about deciphering their unspoken requirements, simplifying complexities, and integrating diverse user needs into a cohesive, user-friendly design. By marrying user feedback with intuitive, well-thought-out solutions, we can create products that not only meet user demands but also provide a seamless, enjoyable experience for both new and existing users.

I wish we could focus on real needs and wants to drive the success of service platforms, learning from the mistakes of evernote. Evernote had everything bolted on to the app to satisfy a focus group, which means it coudn't perform it's main function - quick & simple notes from photo, pdf, email and text. Infuriating! Because even I use it for bills and can't face migrating away.

In software the customer is always wrong, apple figured this out in the 80's. Metcalfe’s laws don’t just apply to good things in multi player settings. And most users don't know what the want until they see it.

The customer is always right" is likely outdated. it's more like, "The customer points you in a direction, but you must navigate the course.

Too many features = a nightmare for new users. We must find that balance between what users say they want and what they actually need.

Merely asking customers what they want is just the first step. Then there is the work of judging what the users will actually pay for. Then there is the work of judging what are the long-term costs of adding a feature. Then there is the work of judging how a new feature shifts customers' perceptions of the product overall.

A good service in this regard is https://playbookux.com , they have an especially good system for pulling high priority feedback out of a mass of confusing customer requests.

Users are experts in their problems, but as product head/ company we must be the expert in solutions. So we should absolutely listen to users, but to be sure, we often have to nudge them to talk about the problem they're trying to solve vs. asking for specific solutions.

Most people's default is to ask for solutions and I've met many stakeholders who don't dig in to understand the underlying problem. This is a very critical step that shouldn't be skipped. Then the work is to find the best solutions to the problems worth solving. You may end up providing (by default) what users asked for, but you may also come up with a better solution that no user thought of.

That's when magic happens!