I always hate this quote. You should always ask people what they want, you just shouldn't literally deliver what they ask for when you can do much better.
It helps by reframing the question. Instead of asking people what they want, ask them what kinds of problems are they having with their existing solution. Often, they will tell you solutions, and you'll need to work backwards a bit till you discover what their pain points are.
Once you thoroughly understand the problems they're having, you have a much better shot at crafting a great solution.
