Book excerpt: For over fifty years, Needfinding has been one of the core classes in the design program at Stanford University. Its premise is that by studying the world around us, we can get a better understanding of what people need, and use those insights to create meaningful new products and services. Needfinding draws upon theory and methods from anthropology, psychology, engineering and design planning to better equip aspiring design researchers. Much of the class involves hands on learning and project work. This book acts as the primary reference for methods taught in the class. It's now available to students and non-students alike.