# Four Levels Of Customer Understanding

DevFeed: [Four Levels Of Customer Understanding](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/four-levels-of-customer-understanding-4279.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://smashingmagazine.com/2026/05/four-levels-customer-understanding/>)

Author: hello@smashingmagazine.com (Vitaly Friedman)

Published: 2026-05-22T13:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Articles on Smashing Magazine -- For Web Designers And Developers](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/articles-on-smashing-magazine-for-web-designers-and-developers.md>)

Topics: [User experience (UX)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ux.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data.md>)

Tags: [customer](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/customer.md>), [design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/design.md>), [design-patterns](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/design-patterns.md>), [ux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ux.md>)

## AI overview

The article presents four levels of customer understanding for uncovering the reasons behind user behavior. It argues that what people say, feel, think, and do can differ substantially, so teams should look beyond direct answers and surface opinions to investigate hidden motivations, root causes, and behavioral evidence.

## Source excerpt

What people say, feel, think, and do are often very different things. To understand the underlying reasons for user behavior, it helps to look beyond the surface and explore hidden motivations, root causes, and the different layers of reality that shape how people act. Brought to you by Measuring UX Impact, **friendly video course on UX** and design patterns by Vitaly.