One of the most common pitfalls in user experience design is assuming we know what the users need. Designers and developers, often with the best intentions, jump into wireframes, mockups, and flows based on internal brainstorming sessions, stakeholder input, and personal hunches. But here’s the catch: none of those are the actual user.

If you’re working on a UX project and you’re not actively asking your customers for their thoughts, you’re essentially designing in the dark. No matter how experienced you are, real insight doesn’t come from guesswork—it comes from conversations. Feedback is not a nice-to-have; it’s the foundation.

Talking to your customers early and often isn’t just about validating ideas. It’s about discovering blind spots. It’s about seeing how people actually interact with your product, not how you think they should. You might be solving a problem that doesn’t exist—or worse, missing the real pain point altogether. When you skip the customer voice, you build for assumptions. And assumptions are expensive.

The magic happens in the moments when a customer says something unexpected. Maybe they use your product in a way you never considered. Maybe they hate a feature you thought was the highlight. Maybe they love something you were about to remove. These moments are gold. They give you clarity, direction, and focus. They strip away the noise and bring the actual user journey into sharp relief.

Involving users doesn’t have to be complicated. A quick call, a short survey, even watching someone use your app while thinking out loud—it’s often simple, scrappy methods that yield the most insight. The important part is that you’re asking. Not once, not just at the start, but throughout the entire process.

The most successful UX projects aren’t the ones with the fanciest interfaces or trendiest UI elements. They’re the ones where customers feel heard. Because when your users see that their feedback shapes the product, they’re not just users anymore. They become collaborators. And that kind of connection? You can’t fake it.

So before you open Figma or schedule your next sprint planning, pause for a moment. Find a real user. Ask them how they use the product. Ask what frustrates them. Ask what delights them. Just ask. It’s the simplest step in UX—and the most important one.