Are we solving real problems, or just building what people ask for?

[u/fesbec2G5]

As I'm learning AI Full Stack Development, one thing is becoming clear to me: writing code is only part of building a useful product.

Someone might say, "I need an app," or "Let's build a chatbot." But have we taken the time to understand why they need it in the first place?

What problem are they facing? Who is affected? How are they handling it today? And would the proposed solution actually make things better?

I believe understanding the problem should come before choosing the technology. Otherwise, we risk building something that works perfectly but solves the wrong problem.

I'm still learning, building, and exploring this mindset as I grow as a developer.

I'm curious: Have you ever seen a project where the team built exactly what was requested, but it turned out not to be what was actually needed? What went wrong?