The Secret: All Needs are Fundamentally Human.
The Source: Manfred Max-Neef’s Fundamental Human Needs. Over 4 decades, researchers rigorously collected data from around the world to answer one question – what are our fundamental human needs? Manfred Max-Neef was a Chilean economist and professor of economics at UC Berkeley. It was his work with Third World communities that led him to consider an economy that met the needs of everyone in that economy. But what are those needs? That’s what these researchers set out to uncover. The result was a Matrix of Needs and Satisfiers that were finite and classifiable. These were needs that could be found in all cultures across the globe and all time periods of human communities. What’s changed over time is the method in which these fundamental needs are met.
What It Means: Customer and User Needs are Fundamental Human Needs.
Today, our lives are increasingly digital and artificial. I first saw this up close while working as a User Researcher on Microsoft Office Productivity Suite. A large portion of people’s workday was being spent using these tools. However, at that time, only about 20% of the capabilities of Office were fully utilized. Why? I wondered. Afterall, Microsoft Office spent a lot of time, effort, and money to create these features. So, why were people not using them?
There’s a difference between what people say they want, and what they need.
I shifted my research to focus on needs that were involved in the productivity scenarios where people were using Office to get their jobs done. What became immediately apparent is that people struggle at articulating their needs. You can’t simply ask a usability participant to tell you what fundamental human needs are involved in the task they’re attempting to complete.
What to do?
I translated Manfred Max-Neef’s Fundamental Human Needs into the context of Microsoft Office Productivity Scenarios. I got the idea from Marshall Rosenberg, a psychologist who also translated Max-Neef’s Fundamental Human Needs into the context of his work with clients – resolving marital conflicts. Rosenberg’s approach was so successful it led to the creation of The Center for Nonviolent Communication – a needs-based practice that has helped heal relationships between couples, communities, and nations across the globe.
The idea is simple.
The more these fundamental human needs are met, the more satisfied Users and Customers become. There’s an evidence-based approach to satisfying needs. You must measure what is truly important to people’s fundamental needs.