The faster horses fallacy: Why true innovation starts with customer insight
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” This quote, often linked to Henry Ford (though its authenticity is debated), has become a go-to argument for innovators. The common interpretation? Customers don’t always know what they want, so asking them is pointless.
But that’s not quite right. While people may not have imagined the car, they certainly expressed a desire for faster, more efficient, and more comfortable travel. The key insight wasn’t about horses at all – it was about solving the problem of speed and convenience. Innovation succeeds when it uncovers these deeper needs and translates them into solutions people didn’t know were possible.
The real job to be done
At the heart of innovation is the idea of “jobs to be done”. People don’t just buy products – they “hire” them to accomplish specific goals, whether that’s getting from A to B, staying entertained, or managing their health. The mistake is assuming that, because customers don’t have a fully formed vision of the future, their input isn’t valuable. The real task is to listen beyond their words and identify the underlying problem.
Had Ford (or whoever originally coined the “faster horses” phrase) asked people, “What frustrates you about travel?”, rather than “What do you want?”, the answers would have revealed clear themes: speed, comfort, and practicality. The automobile wasn’t a response to a direct customer request; it was an innovative answer to an observed need.
Innovation isn’t guesswork
Great innovators don’t rely on customers to design the future, but they do rely on customer insight to shape it. They analyse behaviour, pain points, and aspirations. They look beyond what people say to what they do, where they struggle, and what they wish could be different.
Steve Jobs is often cited as someone who didn’t ask customers what they wanted. But Apple’s success wasn’t based on ignoring users – it was built on an obsessive focus on experience. The iPhone wasn’t the result of a focus group on touchscreen devices, but rather a deep understanding of the frustrations of mobile technology and the opportunity to create something better.
The role of CX teams in driving innovation
This is why customer experience (CX) teams are so well-placed to drive meaningful innovation. They have direct access to customer behaviours, challenges, and unmet needs. Their role isn’t just to gather feedback, but to also uncover the real pain points and behavioural patterns that shape a person’s experience with a product or service.
By identifying friction points and translating them into actionable insights, CX teams help ensure innovation is grounded in real user needs, rather than assumptions. They prevent businesses from falling into the “faster horses” trap by focusing on the actual job to be done.
Innovation must align with commercial success
Of course, solving customer problems is only part of the equation. For innovation to be sustainable, it must also align with a company’s expertise and deliver commercial value.
Businesses must leverage their strengths – whether that’s deep industry knowledge, technological capability, or operational efficiency – to create solutions that aren’t just desirable, but also scalable and commercially viable.
Tesla is a great example. While people wanted more sustainable transport, mass adoption of electric vehicles only took off when Tesla combined customer demand with its expertise in battery technology, software integration, and premium positioning. It wasn’t just about solving a problem – it was about delivering a profitable, differentiated solution that customers valued.
For digital products, this means balancing customer-centric design with business objectives. A pharma company investing in a digital experience for healthcare professionals, for example, must ensure the platform is not only user-friendly, but also drives engagement, strengthens brand trust, and ultimately supports commercial goals.
The sweet spot of innovation sits at the intersection of:
- Unmet customer needs – solving real problems in a meaningful way.
- Company expertise and capabilities – leveraging strengths to create something unique.
- Commercial value – ensuring the solution is scalable and profitable.
Applying this to digital innovation
In industries like healthcare and pharma, listening to customer frustrations is critical. Users may not explicitly ask for streamlined, personalised, or AI-driven digital experiences – but they will express frustration with complexity, inefficiency, and lack of clarity. The key isn’t to ask, “What feature do you want?”, but rather to identify the real problem and design an experience that solves it.
At the same time, these solutions must drive measurable business impact. Whether it’s improving adherence in patient support programmes, increasing HCP engagement, or streamlining internal workflows, the best digital experiences deliver value for both the business and the customer.
The lesson? Customer input isn’t irrelevant – we just need to ask better questions, observe more closely, and translate insights into solutions that push industries forward. The true role of an innovator isn’t to give people what they ask for, but to understand what they really need – and deliver it in a way that also makes business sense.
About the author
Rob Verheul is CEO of Graphite Digital, a digital customer experience agency with that collaborates with healthcare and pharmaceutical organisations to deepen customer connection through meaningful digital experiences.
