Customers don't know what they want. There's plenty of…
“Customers don't know what they want. There's plenty of good psychology research that shows that people are not able to accurately predict how they would behave in the future. So asking them, 'Would you buy my product if it had these three features?' or 'How would you react if we changed our product this way?' is a waste of time. They don't know.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
People cannot reliably predict future behavior, making direct product feature queries ineffective; instead observe actual usage.
In simple terms: People can’t predict what they’ll want.
Key Takeaway
Validate ideas through real user behavior.
Themes
innovation
uncertainty
customer insight
Mood
analytical
pragmatic
Type
business
strategic
When to use this quote
- product development
- market research
- feature prioritization
Key Concepts
behavioral economics
lean methodology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you test assumptions without asking users directly?
- What indirect signals reveal true needs?
A Different Perspective
Assumes all users behave similarly despite context.