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In most cases, there’s a very big difference between what people say they need and what they actually need.
New Terms:
- Need: A need is a necessity arising from a certain problem, a real problem.
- Want: A want is what people think or say they need.
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This workshop will teach you to
answer one very important question.
0:00
Do people need my product?
0:04
The keyword is need,
let's clarify what that means.
0:06
A need is a necessity arising
from a certain problem,
0:11
let's consider the scenario
of booking a flight.
0:15
These days,
there are websites like KAYAK and
0:19
Google Flights, which allow you
to search multiple airlines for
0:21
the best flight, whether that's the
cheapest airfare or the shortest duration.
0:25
But before those products existed,
people had to search for
0:30
flights on several airline websites.
0:33
It was a hassle and there was always that
sinking feeling like maybe you didn't have
0:36
all the information at hand.
0:41
Was there an airline you forgot to check?
0:43
Then when sites like KAYAK
entered the scene, ta-dah,
0:46
aggregative flight deals
with just one search.
0:50
This solved a problem, you needed a quick
trusted way to get the best flight and
0:54
KAYAK delivered on that need.
0:59
The interesting thing about needs is that
people have a hard time recognizing their
1:01
own needs.
1:06
In many cases, products meet needs people
were not even aware they had before.
1:08
Take the first iPhone as an example,
1:13
people were generally satisfied
with their mobile phones.
1:16
At the time, Nokia was celebrating
the shipping of its 1 billion phone to yet
1:20
another happy customer.
1:25
Yet the iPhone and later Android and
1:27
other smartphones swept the world in
a storm of technology in people's hands.
1:30
Today, many people cannot imagine
life without their smartphone.
1:36
If you would've described a smartphone
to people prior to the year 2007,
1:41
when the iPhone was first announced.
1:46
I'm not sure how many of them would've
predicted how much they needed it, or
1:48
at least felt they needed it.
1:53
Smartphones met a need
people were not aware of.
1:55
Now instead of carrying around
a flip-phone, a camera and
1:59
a video camera to capture
candid times with friends and
2:02
family, people can carry a smartphone
that met all those needs and more.
2:06
A smartphone has become a compact
little device that's a phone, camera,
2:11
map, Web browser and
gaming console all in one.
2:16
Mobile apps brought about
even more functionality,
2:22
expanding the smartphone
as a way to read the news.
2:25
Catch up with friends and family through
messaging, and experience social media.
2:28
Once people saw the benefits of those
features, the amount of value added
2:33
created such a strong want that they
became a need for many in our culture.
2:37
Many business owners and
designers confuse needs with wants.
2:42
Let's better understand the difference
between what people need and
2:47
what they want.
2:50
A need, as I explained earlier,
2:52
is a necessity arising from a problem,
a real problem.
2:54
A want is what people think or
say they need.
2:59
In most cases, there's a very big
difference between what people say they
3:03
need, and what they actually need.
3:07
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