User Needs

Understanding user needs means figuring out what people actually need, not just what they say they want. As a creative technologist, you design and build things that interact with the world. To do that well, you need to uncover the underlying goals, frustrations, and values of the people you're designing for.

User needs often stay hidden if you only ask people what they want. Instead, you learn more by observing behavior, asking open-ended questions, and identifying patterns across different users or contexts.

Starting Point

• Start with the user’s situation: What are they trying to achieve? What problems do they encounter? What workarounds do they use?
• Combine methods like interviews, observations, and experience mapping to look beyond surface-level feedback.
• Ask: “What is the user trying to get done here?” rather than “What feature do they want?”

Key Points

• Separate needs from solutions. A user saying “I want a button here” might really need clarity or control.
• Identify functional, emotional, and social needs — not just what the system should do, but how it fits into someone’s life.
• Use quotes, behavior, and recurring themes to back up your insights.
• Translate needs into design goals or system requirements you can actually build for.