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"If I'd asked people what they wanted, they'd have said faster horses." This quote gets used to justify skipping user research. But the real problem is the question itself. "What do you want?" is terrible research.

antonsten.comHenry Ford's horse problem wasn't about imagination | Anton StenThe famous "faster horses" quote isn't wrong because users can't imagine solutions—it's wrong because it defends lazy research.

10/10/25, 10:54 am0 reposts3 likes

nonplussed

@nonplussed73.bsky.social

10 Oct 2025

Anyone using this quote to justify skipping user research doesn’t understand the quote.

Anton Sten

@antonsten.com

10 Oct 2025

Better questions: - What's frustrating about your current solution? - Tell me about the last time you struggled with this - What workarounds have you tried? You won't hear "faster horses." You'll hear real problems that point to actual solutions.