User Experience Innovation: User Centered Design that Works

Types of User Needs

I usually distinguish between three types of user needs: immediate user needs, perceived user needs, and latent user needs. These three types of user needs are briefly introduced next.

Immediate User Needs

Immediate user needs are the needs that users have here and now, and that most users can imagine and articulate. An example is, “I want this device to improve the safety of my family.” Another example might be, “I want a device to inflate my bicycle tire.”

Existing user needs also very much reflect user expectations. For example, a user visiting a site perceived as a social networking site might state, “I expect this web page to help me get in contact with my friends.”

Immediate user needs are important to fulfill—for example, ...