Too often companies and IT departments believe that they know what software they should create. However users often need and want something different than you believe, even if you’re a domain expert yourself. My colleague and dear friend Ivar had exactly this experience when designing a meal planning tool for his girlfriend and himself. He knew everything perfectly – the previous tool they’ve used (a paper on the fridge), the problem domain, the users. Yet the first prototype tested did not at all match the ideas of what he thought was needed.

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