this quote keeps getting used as an example of not talking to users, but i think the interpretation is wrong.
henry ford seemed to know that people wanted faster transportation.
how did he know that?
the thing is that you are not asking people how they would solve their problems, but instead ask them what the actual problem is.
instead of asking: what would make your work easier? -> faster horses.
ask: what is the biggest problem in your work? -> horses are to slow.
once you understand the actual problem, you may come up with a solution that is beyond what people can imagine.
if people didn't want faster transportation, cars may not have taken off. but i think that kind of problem was pretty obvious, so there wasn't a big need to ask.
You're right. The quote should not discourage talking to users, but it should encourage true communication about the challenges that users face. In agreement with you, an important point is that most all of us are unable to articulate the specific problems we face everyday, and therefore we absolutely can't just tell some smart industrialist or software engineer how they can apply their skills to solve our problems.
henry ford seemed to know that people wanted faster transportation.
how did he know that?
the thing is that you are not asking people how they would solve their problems, but instead ask them what the actual problem is.
instead of asking: what would make your work easier? -> faster horses.
ask: what is the biggest problem in your work? -> horses are to slow.
once you understand the actual problem, you may come up with a solution that is beyond what people can imagine.
if people didn't want faster transportation, cars may not have taken off. but i think that kind of problem was pretty obvious, so there wasn't a big need to ask.