/layers-user-needs

Assumes /layers-intro has been loaded. This skill is a library of techniques, not a script — see "How to use these skills" there.

User needs are what we think users are trying to achieve, and why — an interpretation built on observed behaviour and domain knowledge, not a direct capture of reality. This layer sits between the messy raw material of observation and the deliberate decisions of the solution space.

The outputs here are opportunities: needs (what users want to achieve), pains (what causes friction), and desires (improvements they'd value). All three are valid — elicit all three.

The decisions this layer makes

• Who exactly the users are whose needs we're defining — and in what situation
• What jobs they're trying to do: functional, emotional, and social
• Which needs are grounded in evidence, and which are assumptions
• Which needs matter most, and why

If the needs are already clear and grounded, don't re-elicit them for the sake of it — take them to /layers-product-strategy.