The most reliable to me is to ask what people do, and then to describe how they do it (with an example), and why. What they would like to do, imagine themselves, be interested in is a lot of fantasy.
I once learned: The customer is NOT always right. They are often wrong, and frequently confused. I agree with you, it isn't wise to trust requests at face value. This is why the collaborative approach encoded in Scrum, i.e. customers working with developers working with business folk is an effective way to discover what is actually useful. It takes time, as you say. But it is time well spent.
The most reliable to me is to ask what people do, and then to describe how they do it (with an example), and why. What they would like to do, imagine themselves, be interested in is a lot of fantasy.
I once learned: The customer is NOT always right. They are often wrong, and frequently confused. I agree with you, it isn't wise to trust requests at face value. This is why the collaborative approach encoded in Scrum, i.e. customers working with developers working with business folk is an effective way to discover what is actually useful. It takes time, as you say. But it is time well spent.
I disagree slightly. I think the rule should be, don't trust that what people say they want or need is necessarily the same as what matters to them.
But if someone tells you something matters to them, you should trust them.
'Is exercise important?' is a different question to 'Does exercise matter to you?'
Asking 'What matters to you?' is when you get the most honest, open-minded and trustworthy answers.
Faster horses?