When Customers Want ‘Faster Horses’ That Means We Need More User Research (Not Less)

I once had a product person tell me there’s no reason to ask customers what they want because (using the quote often attributed to Henry Ford), “If I [Ford] had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” 

I said that’s exactly why we need User Experience Research. Then I had to explain why. 

Traditional / Product Research

Traditional research took what people were telling them at face value.

So then it would become a feature factory spitting out the things they thought would make faster horses; better stirrups, lighter horseshoes, and maybe a fancy new saddle. Some people may have gotten super “innovative” and started genetically modifying horses to make them faster.

User Experience Research

UX researchers look at what people are saying and ask, “Why do they want this? What is trying to accomplish? What is the problem they are trying to solve for?”

They’d listen to the customer and understand that customers use horses to get from one destination to another. And the requests and feedback are all about making it faster.

So what customers really wanted was to get to their destination faster. 

Usability Testing

Usability Testing is testing the proposed solutions to the problem. It’s part of user research that comes when trying to find the right solution. Sometimes you learn more about what they want (ex: needs to have room for two people), but it mostly tells you if it works for the customer.

For example, when Ford was looking to find a solution for getting to their destination faster, he could have tested multiple solutions that were faster:

An automobile became the solution because it met the most needs of the customer. Not because it had the most features (like seat belts and wipers), but because the solution got them to their desitination faster.

So when they ask why do research…

That if you ask why customers want faster horses, you learn that they really want to get to their destination faster. 

That customers don’t want more features (like lighter horseshoes), they want solutions to their problems. 

That if businesses are only comparing to competitors (“let’s do what they’re doing”), then they’ll always be playing catch up. And the person ahead will stay ahead. 

The one who creates the car will maybe not release as fast as the others, but they’ll be sure to win (both as the fastest and best selling) in the long run.