Sequences of events, real costs, and existing alternatives provide stronger evidence than attitudes and wishes alone.
Seek an understanding of behavior
People readily agree with a sensible idea and describe ideal ways of working. Product decisions need an account of real behavior. A particular past event often reveals more than a prediction about future use.
Evidence one: sequence
Return to a recent experience and follow it from its trigger. When did the problem become apparent? Which tool came first? Who was contacted? Where did progress stop? A sequence reveals details hidden by general descriptions.
If an answer stays abstract, ask what happened on that particular day. Leave room before organizing a conclusion.
Evidence two: actual cost
Important problems often cost time, rework, missed opportunities, anxiety, or coordination. Ask what the person has already spent to solve the issue.
Costs also help assess buying motivation. A complaint that has never triggered action may have low priority.
Evidence three: alternatives
Alternatives include spreadsheets, chat records, manual reminders, weekly meetings, and leaving a task undone. What people tolerate, and why they have not switched, define the threshold a new product must meet.
Organize the findings
Keep original excerpts, context, observations, and interpretations distinct. Classify records as actual behavior, explicit constraints, subjective views, or researcher inference so a single remark is not inflated into a requirement.