From Justin Jackson
When it comes to building products, the biggest problem technical (and creative) people have is this:
This surprises us. We get an idea for a thing, think about the technology we’d use to build it, and get excited.
“I could build this on the Twilio API!”
“I could learn that new CSS framework!”
“I could use this new tool I just purchased!”
The problem is that all of this is focused on us, the creator, and not on the customer, the consumer.
Repeat after me:
“We are not normal people.”
Say it again:
“I am not a normal person.”
We’re not. What’s “normal” for us is often alien to our customers. If we’re actually going to sell products, we need to quit thinking about what’s cool to us, and focus on what customers actually need.
Here’s a lesson I learned the hard way: the best way to do this is to listen.
Let me give you an example: