Ben Thompson nails the essence of Design Thinking as it differs from market research, all applied to the art of gift-giving and exceeding a recipients expectations. Merry Christmas!
Approaching a problem with a design thinking mindset, however, certainly takes into account what a customer says, but simply as one input among many. In this approach, observing the way people really live, developing a deep understanding of the real problems they have, and gaining an appreciation of the hacks they devise to overcome them can deliver an understanding of prospective customers needs that is more accurate than what any of those prospective customers could ever articulate on their own.