Listening vs Understanding Users

There is a popular sentence in product teams:

"The best product people listen to users and make data-driven decisions."

I think this sentence is often misunderstood.

At its core

Listening ≠ understanding

Data ≠ reality

Listening to users is passive. Understanding users is active.

This means, a product builder is not someone who only reads surveys or checks dashboards.

Data is a signal, not an alarm

Data gives a "signal". It is not an "alarm".

A signal says "look here". It does not say "do this".

A better definition

Maybe the sentence should be updated like this:

"The best product builders do not just listen to users. They understand users in context and make decisions on their behalf."

And this last part is important.

The cost of decisions

Making decisions is hard.

Making decisions means paying a cost.

Every "yes" means many "no"s.

In the end, users experience this cost. Product builders take responsibility for it and should create responsibly.