appealing to human needs

Design thinking begins with a focus on a human-centered need, specifically a problem where that need isn’t being met.

Now, not all needs are created equal. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are two types: deficiency needs and growth or being needs. (You’ll sometimes find these abbreviated without explanation as D-needs and B-needs, respectively.)

maslow’s original needs hierarchy with expanded growth or being needs hierarchy. Deficiency needs (D-needs) include Basic needs and Psychological needs. Maslow’s expanded needs hierarchy includes the Self-fulfillment needs and Self-transcendence needs. Basic needs and Psychological needs remain the same as the original needs hierarchy. (Basic needs are grouped by 1) Biological and physiological needs and 2) Safety needs. Psychological needs are comprised of 3) Love and belonging needs and 4) Esteem needs.) Self actualization needs are expanded to include 5) Cognitive needs, 4) Aesthetic needs, and 5) Self actualization needs. Transcendence needs sit at the top of the pyramid.

DEFICIENCY NEEDS (D-NEEDS).

Physiological needs, Safety needs, Love and Belongingness needs, and Esteem needs are all deficiency needs. These needs arise from scarcity, from not being filled. For example, when we’re struggling to put food on the table our physiological need might take precedence over an aesthetic need.

listing of sample physiological (9), safety (13), love and belonging (social) (11), and esteem (10) needs from maslow’s deficiency needs hierarchy.

While one doesn’t need to have met all lower-level needs to focus on meeting higher-level needs, it does make it easier. In actuality, we cycle up and down through the needs depending on the realities of our lives. And for some, the higher-level needs always take precedence over other needs, think the starving artist troupe or activists who repeatedly put themselves in harm’s way or go on hunger strikes.

BEING NEEDS (B-NEEDS).

In Maslow’s original hierarchy, Self-Actualization needs were at the top of the pyramid and the only growth needs.

maslow’s original needs hierarchy. Needs are grouped by whether they are Deficiency needs or Growth/being needs. Deficiency needs (D-needs) include Basic needs and Psychological needs. Growth or Being needs (B-needs) in Maslow’s original needs hierarchy are Self-fulfillment needs. Both Basic needs and Psychological needs are further subdivided. Basic needs are grouped by 1) Biological and physiological needs and 2) Safety needs. Psychological needs are comprised of 3) Love and belonging needs and 4) Esteem needs.

Maslow later expanded this hierarchy to include four levels of growth needs: Cognitive needs, Aesthetic needs, Self-Actualization, and Transcendence needs.

However, searching Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs on the Internet yields more discussions of the original pyramid than his expanded one. (I’ve even noticed a few textbooks that only cover the original pyramid despite Maslow making additions/adjustments in the 1960s-1970s.) This means in-depth discussions or explanations of Cognitive or Aesthetic needs are harder to find than Self-Actualization needs or even Transcendence needs.

listing of sample cognitive (8), aesthetic (12), self-actualization (14), and transcendence (9) needs from maslow’s expanded growth or being needs hierarchy.

A NEEDS INVENTORY.

I’ve always been more interested in meeting Cognitive and Aesthetic needs than Safety needs, especially when it comes to selling products and services. So, I constantly find myself looking for an inventory of these needs for inspiration as I help clients craft vision and mission statements.

Rather than continue to search for these needs when I need a reference, I’ve created a list of needs examples for each level of Maslow’s hierarchy.

maslow’s needs hierarchy with expanded being needs accompanied by partial inventory of individual needs organized by type of need: Physiological, Safety, Love and Belonging (social), Esteem, Cognitive, Aesthetic, Self-Actualization, or Transcendence.

Note that this reference is not meant to be exhaustive. It’s just a jumping-off point for creativity and to get you thinking in terms of your ideal customer.

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