I accidentally stopped asking users what features they wanted

When I started building Dayleaf, I thought user research meant asking:

"What features are missing?"

But the most useful feedback I've received wasn't feature requests at all.

It was emotional language.

People said things like:

"My to-do list became a record of failure."
"The app feels emotionally heavy."
"I avoid opening it when I'm already behind."
"It's basically a guilt dashboard."

None of those comments told me what to build.

But they completely changed how I think about the problem.

Instead of asking:
"How do I help people manage more tasks?"

I started asking:
"How do I help people feel comfortable returning after a messy week?"

That shift has influenced Dayleaf far more than any feature request.

Curious if other founders have had a similar experience where customer language taught you more than customer feature requests.