Importance of Talking to Users

Image source: https://hotcorn.com/en/movies/news/churchill-tube-scene-darkest-hour/

In the 2018 Oscar-nominated film The Darkest Hour, there’s a memorable scene where Winston Churchill, overwhelmed by the weight of his decisions during World War II, takes an unexpected trip on the London Underground.

Sitting among everyday citizens for the first time, he asks them directly how they feel about the war — whether they’d rather seek peace or stand and fight. Their passionate answers inspire his resolve and ultimately shape his historic speech to Parliament.

Now, this scene is fictional — a powerful piece of storytelling rather than historical record. But it perfectly captures a truth that remains essential in user experience design: leaders, designers, and innovators make their best decisions when they listen to real people.

Experience map, showing the summary of user interviews in several grid layers, including actors involved, experience feedback, and others.

Why the Lesson Still Matters

In UX design, we often talk about being user-centered — yet many teams still design based on assumptions, internal opinions, or analytics alone.

Data can tell us what users do, but it rarely explains why they do it. The “why” only emerges when we take the time to talk to users, to listen to their frustrations, observe their behaviors, and understand their motivations.

Churchill’s fictional Underground trip reminds us: no matter how experienced or confident we are, decisions made in isolation can miss the mark. Stepping out of the “boardroom bubble” (or the Figma file) and into the user’s world keeps our designs grounded in reality.

The Modern Designer’s Challenge

Today, user research looks very different than it did even a few years ago. AI tools summarize feedback in seconds, analytics platforms visualize journeys instantly, and product teams are shipping faster than ever.

But while automation accelerates analysis, it doesn’t replace empathy. True understanding comes from conversation, context, and curiosity, asking open questions, observing body language, and hearing the tone in someone’s voice when they describe a pain point. That human nuance is what separates usable products from lovable ones.

Bringing the Voice of the User Into Design

Talking to users doesn’t always require a full research sprint or a big budget. Sometimes it’s as simple as:

Running short, focused interviews with your target users.
Observing a customer using your product in real time.
Reviewing customer service chats or app reviews for recurring themes.
Running lightweight concept tests through tools like Maze, Useberry, or Lookback.

The key is consistency — making user conversations a habit, not a project. The best teams integrate user insights into every phase of design, not just at the end.

A Reminder for UX Teams

Churchill sought strength and perspective from the people he served. As designers, we serve users too, and their voices should shape every decision we make.

Even in an age of AI copilots, predictive models, and big data, our most valuable insights still come from human stories. Because when we listen — really listen — we create experiences that reflect real needs, real emotions, and real impact.

If one of history’s greatest leaders could take time to hear from ordinary people before making extraordinary decisions, we can do the same — whether we’re designing an app, a service, or a global product.

Talk to your users. They’ll tell you what your data can’t.

Want to explore how AI, UX, and ethical design shape tech for real people? Visit www.yellowumbrella.design for our insights, practical resources, and inspiration for designing a better tomorrow.