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Clients Don't Know What They Want (And That's Okay)
"We need an app."
Okay. For what?
"Well, for our customers."
What should they do with it?
"Uh... various things, I guess."
We have this conversation at least once a week. And every time we smile – because we know that's where the real work begins. 🐱💻
The Problem with "What Do You Need?"
It's the most natural question in the world. And the most useless.
Why? Because people are bad at articulating what they need. That's not criticism – it's human nature.
Henry Ford (allegedly): "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said: faster horses."
The Better Questions
1. "What annoys you the most right now?"
Problems are concrete. Solution wishes are abstract.
When someone says "I need a CRM", ask: "What's the concrete problem you're trying to solve?"
Often you'll hear: "I'm losing track of my leads" – and suddenly we're dealing with a real problem.
2. "How do you do this today?"
Workarounds are gold. They show:
- What actually matters
- Where the pain is greatest
- What any solution must do at minimum
If someone maintains a 47-tab Excel sheet, that's the feature list and priority in one. And yes, we've seen 100+ tabs. Respect for that. 🦕
3. "What happens if nothing changes?"
This question filters nice-to-haves from must-haves.
"Would be nice if..." vs. "Then we lose money/customers/our minds."
What Real Discovery Means
Good agencies don't just take orders. They understand first, then build.
Our discovery process (first week of every project):
- Stakeholder Interviews – Who has which perspective?
- Problem Mapping – What's the actual problem behind the desired feature?
- User Context – Who uses this thing, when, where, why?
- Success Definition – How do we measure if it works?
This takes time. But it saves weeks of wrong development.
When Clients Do Know What They Want
Sometimes clients have very concrete ideas. That's not bad – but it needs testing.
Our approach:
"Why exactly this feature?"
Usually there's a problem behind it that can be solved differently (sometimes better).
"What if we DON'T build this?"
Sorts wishes from necessities.
"Who asked for this?"
A feature one customer mentioned once ≠ validated need.
The Result of Good Discovery
After one week of discovery, we have:
- ✅ Clear problem statement
- ✅ Defined target audience
- ✅ Prioritized feature list (not wish list)
- ✅ Success criteria
- ✅ Shared understanding
That's something you can build on. Without discovery, you're building in fog.
Got a project coming up? Start with discovery, not a wish list. We bring the right questions – and good vibes. 🚀
