People don't know what they want

What we want isn't always good for us. Most people sabotage themselves when they get the opportunity and without full appreciation of it. 

Growing up poor makes you crave a stocked refrigerator. Meat is too expensive, so you have ramen, canned beans and peanut butter and jelly day after day. So when your new job earns you some real money, it's easy to secure your better life by constantly keeping a fully stocked fridge, despite throwing out lettuce every week. Money is sacrificed for the secure feeling that comes with abundance. 

User needs are prioritized first because it's easy to sell someone a solution to their technical issue. When we appeal to wants, it's based on what users tell us they want and what we already know that they will gravitate towards. Filling in blanks for user wants are risky because we venture into assumption territory. 

It's damn difficult to sell someone on your word. The designer who relies on their designer's eye will appeal to their customer less often than a designer who identifies a tangible problem to solve.

But it does raise the question, what do we really need? Because what is healthy is not what we want and what is healthy is not always classified as a need. 

Reading, exercise and connecting with friends are the best things for people. But we like to watch tv, sleep in and stay away from crowds. It's not a matter of opinion, it's a matter of time for you to feel disconnected from people and to feel depressed.

Your customer can't write their brain the way you want it to read. And no one can behave in the healthiest fashion all the time. The best designers can do is to consistently advocate for what's best and to understand how customers categorize their wants and needs. 

Your job pays for your needs which are the real priority, not the customer's.