All too often when we sit down with a new technology, we get distracted with what we could do instead of focusing on what we should do. With our quiver full of buzzwords like Ajax, "social networking," and "LAMP stack," our products get driven by an ever-increasing technological capability instead of a true understanding of customer needs and desires.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs provides a strong filter through which to view your projects and reveals some interesting results: major retailers sell hot-dogs because you can't shop if you're hungry; Ajax reduces the time and cognitive load on your users so they can spend more time being productive or enjoying themselves; and Linux still isn't ready for the desktop if Grandma's new digital camera doesn't work out of the box.

This talk will deliver useful paradigms for successful product development by diving into the WHY your users' wants rather than the HOWs of what you can build. We'll explore and use patterns from history to explain the trends of today and tomorrow.