/layers:user-needs

Assumes /layers:intro has been loaded for framework context.

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.

In OST terms, the outputs here are opportunities: needs (what users want to achieve), pains (what's causing friction), and desires (improvements they'd value). All three are valid inputs; elicit all three.

Decisions this layer needs to make:

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

Methods: