# User Needs

Understanding User BehaviorUser Needs help product and design teams understand what users are actually trying to accomplish and where experiences begin breaking down. Rather than treating research, UX metrics, usability findings, and feedback as disconnected signals, the framework helps organize recurring patterns into clearer, actionable understanding.SectionPurposeOverviewExplains the core ideas, purpose, and role of User Needs inside the frameworkTechniquesCovers needfinding methods, interpretation approaches, and ways of recognizing patternsPlaybookProvides operational workflows, prompts, inputs, outputs, and execution guidanceReferenceContains reusable definitions, behavioral examples, and per-need lookup materialExamplesProvides worked examples and a pattern library for practitioners and AI-assisted workflowsAgent OperationsConnects what teams are seeing to what they should do next, based on evidence strength, friction type, and where the work is headed.Turning data into user understandingProduct and design teams already have a large amount of information to pull from, but it is often locked in dashboards or buried behind layers of access. Teams usually have some combination of customer interviews, support tickets, usability findings, analytics, stakeholder requests, UX metrics, and internal opinions about what users need. The challenge is figuring out what actually matters and making sense of disconnected signals.Teams often struggle to connect scattered data into a clearer understanding of:what users are trying to accomplishwhere friction is emergingwhy behavior keeps repeatingwhat evidence supports the problemwhat decisions should happen nextThis is where user needs become important inside the Glare framework. User needs help teams organize disconnected signals into a more structured understanding of what users are actually experiencing. They create a shared reference point for interpreting behavior, evaluating friction, and understanding how experiences influence confidence, trust, and progress over time.User needs act as operational anchors that help teams:interpret user behaviorevaluate workflowsguide measurementcompare conceptsconnect design decisions to business outcomesMove beyond surface feedbackMost of the time, user needs are not explicitly stated. They are inferred by looking at repeated behavior patterns, recurring friction, or what people say across multiple situations. Sometimes needs appear through direct customer requests, but more often they emerge through:repeated behaviorhesitationconfusionworkaroundsinconsistent decisionsrecurring friction across workflowsA single usability issue rarely explains the full situation. A support request may point to a deeper trust problem. High engagement may still hide confusion. Strong satisfaction scores may not mean users are succeeding. User needs help teams move beyond isolated observations and toward a clearer understanding of the conditions shaping behavior over time.Finding user needsThis is where teams often get stuck. They collect feedback, analytics, UX metrics, usability findings, and stakeholder opinions… but still struggle to understand what users are actually experiencing underneath the signals.User needs help teams move beyond isolated observations and toward a more structured understanding of behavior over time. Instead of treating findings as disconnected data points, the framework helps teams organize observations into recurring situations that explain:what users are trying to accomplishwhat is interfering with progresswhere confidence starts breaking downwhat conditions continue repeatingwhat impact the friction may have on the experienceThis creates a more stable way to interpret user behavior without relying only on assumptions, intuition, or the loudest opinion in the room. As teams start identifying recurring patterns, user needs become easier to recognize across onboarding flows, dashboards, AI-assisted workflows, checkout experiences, enterprise systems, navigation structures, support interactions, and product recommendations.The goal is helping teams create stronger directional understanding while the work is still evolving.Five Layers of User NeedsGlare organizes user needs into five layers. The layers help teams identify where friction is happening, what type of support users may need, and how confidence forms over time.They build on each other, foundational needs usually need to be addressed before higher-level emotional needs can fully emerge, but they are not a rigid sequence. Most experiences contain several overlapping needs at once.LayerFocusUser NeedsBasicsFoundational usability and accessUseful, Usable, Findable, AccessibleTrustReliability and confidenceCredible, Secure, Reliable, IntuitivePersonalRelevance and contextual understandingInclusive, Adaptable, Connected, InsightfulImpactProgress and meaningful outcomesValuable, Sustainable, Efficient, ScalableFeelingsEmotion and long-term connectionDesirable, Delightful, Engaging, EmpoweringFor example: users rarely trust workflows they do not understand. Users struggle to feel confident in experiences that create friction. Users are unlikely to feel delight if foundational usability problems still exist. The layers help teams identify where the most meaningful unmet needs are emerging before optimizing higher-level experiences too early.Applying Needs Across WorkflowsUser needs are not static research artifacts. They act as operational signals that help teams continuously evaluate how workflows, concepts, and decisions are affecting the user experience over time.As teams collect feedback, measure behavior, and evaluate concepts, user needs help clarify:what problems matter mostwhere friction is increasingwhat tradeoffs are emergingwhat signals deserve attentionwhat decisions may need to changeThis creates a more continuous relationship between user behavior, product direction, design execution, measurement, and business outcomes.For example, a team that identifies users struggling to trust financial recommendations during onboarding can use that need to shape what concepts are explored, what workflows are simplified, what UX metrics are measured, and what conversations become priorities — not just once, but continuously as the product evolves.Centering on the user experienceInstead of debating isolated screens or feature ideas, the discussion becomes centered around whether the experience is helping users accomplish the underlying need successfully. This also helps teams avoid common workflow problems where:research becomes disconnected from executionmetrics lose contextstakeholder priorities driftconcepts are evaluated inconsistentlyteams optimize outputs instead of outcomesAs products evolve, user needs often evolve too. New workflows appear. Expectations shift. Confidence changes. AI reshapes behavior. User needs help teams stay connected to those changes so decisions can continue evolving alongside the people using the experience.User Needs Within the FrameworkUser needs are foundational inputs inside the Glare framework. Inside the Decision Map, they connect across all four areas of the system (Define, Measure, Focus, and Lead), each using user needs differently as work evolves.AreaHow User Needs HelpDefineClarify what users are trying to accomplish, where friction is emerging, and what problems deserve deeper evaluationMeasureGuide UX metrics, concept evaluation, behavioral signals, and workflow validationFocusHelp teams compare priorities, evaluate tradeoffs, and identify where friction matters mostLeadConnect user behavior, design decisions, workflows, and business outcomes over timeWithout shared user needs, teams often interpret the same signals differently. Research, metrics, and feedback become disconnected from the decisions shaping the experience. User needs help stabilize interpretation by creating shared understanding of what users are struggling with, what conditions are affecting behavior, and what outcomes may need to improve.As teams continue collecting signals and feedback, user needs become part of an ongoing learning system that helps organizations:identify friction earlierreduce ambiguityimprove alignmentstrengthen measurementguide experimentationconnect design work to measurable outcomesThe goal is helping teams continuously make stronger product and design decisions while work is still evolving.User Needs Across TeamsAs organizations grow, product and design decisions become distributed across multiple teams, workflows, and priorities. Different groups collect different types of signals — analytics, research findings, customer feedback, support issues, stakeholder requests — and without a shared way to interpret those signals, organizations struggle with fragmented decisions, conflicting priorities, and opinion-driven discussions.Without a shared way to interpret those signals, organizations often struggle with:fragmented decision-makingconflicting prioritiesduplicated effortinconsistent measurementunclear ownershipopinion-driven discussionsUser needs help create a more consistent way to understand and communicate user problems across teams. User needs provide shared language for:discussing frictionevaluating workflowsinterpreting UX metricsprioritizing opportunitiesexplaining tradeoffsconnecting decisions to outcomesUser needs also help leadership evaluate work differently. Instead of measuring only outputs or delivery speed, organizations can ask whether friction is decreasing, whether workflows are improving, whether confidence is increasing, and whether behavior is changing in ways that matter.Using User Needs Across InitiativesUser needs can be applied across a wide range of product, design, research, and operational workflows:onboarding flows, dashboards, AI-assisted experiences, navigation systems, enterprise software, checkout flows, and more.Most teams do not need to apply the entire framework at once. A better approach is starting with one workflow where friction already exists and building consistency from there. Many organizations begin by identifying a workflow with recurring friction, defining the core user needs involved, selecting a small set of UX metrics, evaluating concepts against those needs, and continuously measuring changes over time.User needs become most valuable when they are continuously referenced throughout the lifecycle of work, not treated as isolated research deliverables. They act as foundational inputs for UX Metrics, Design Signals, Concept Evaluation, Decision Reviews, Benchmarking, Experimentation, AI Skills, and Workflow Assessments. This creates a more connected system where user behavior, measurement, and decision-making continuously inform each other as products evolve.AI PromptThis prompt helps you identify which user need your design is actually solving and where the experience is breaking down.Start with a product, flow, or feature you're trying to improve. It guides you to:Walk the seven Honeycomb layers in order from Findable to DesirableStop at the first layer that's broken rather than patching the surfaceSeparate real needs from stated wants using the validation ruleMatch each named need to a metric so it becomes testableYou'll end with a prioritized needs list tied to specific Honeycomb layers, each with a metric attached.Use this before starting any design work to make sure you're solving the right problem at the right layer.AI SkillsThe User Needs skill file teaches your AI the full Honeycomb model so it can help you diagnose and anchor any design challenge to a real, testable user need.Load it when you need to go deeper than the prompt allows, including layer-by-layer diagnostics, needfinding practice, and want-versus-need validation. It gives your AI:The full per-layer breakdown with definition, diagnostic questions, signal types, and failure modesThe needfinding practice guide including observation techniques and contradiction captureThe validation rule for separating stated needs from behavioral evidenceThe metric mapping list for each Honeycomb layerDownload the skill file below to use the full User Needs framework with your AI assistant.