Customer Needs Research Methods

Many companies mistakenly believe that customers have latent and unarticulated needs that can only be discovered through observational research. However, customers can articulate their needs once they understand what a need is and don't confuse it with solutions. The issue is not what customer needs research method to use, but what kind of customer inputs to capture: desired outcomes. Once these needs are known, it's up to the supplier to develop a solution that addresses them. Observational research is just as guilty of capturing the wrong kind of inputs and confusing needs with solutions as traditional focus groups.