It is very common, especially among technical profiles coming from implementation backgrounds (developers, engineers, craftsmen…), for energy to be devoted to building out an idea rather than understanding and validating the real needs of customers or users. The result: in conversations with prospects, more time is spent defending the imagined solution—sometimes with the underlying thought that “customers just don’t get it”—than listening to their context, constraints, and actual problems.
This bias, however, is not unique to technical profiles:
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Sales profiles may fall into the opposite trap, focusing primarily on closing a deal quickly without ensuring that the product sustainably addresses the need.
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Designers may prioritize the ideal user experience without verifying whether it fits within a viable business model.
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Marketing/strategy profiles may be tempted to validate success only through superficial indicators (click-through rates, viral campaigns) without digging into real usage.
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Managers may focus on alignment and internal communication at the expense of direct confrontation with the field reality.
In truth, this pitfall applies to every product creator—whether Product Manager, founder, designer, salesperson, or engineer: attachment to one’s idea can drown out the customer’s voice. The discipline lies in flipping the logic: listen first, deeply understand, test with humility, and only then build.
Author of Impact Factories / Co-founder of Shy Robotics and Product Whys / Head of Product at Dassault Systèmes / Engineer passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship
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