Ask HN: How to understand the end user's concerns and needs?

Hi HN, Since I started working, I discovered that what makes a development successful is not as much the programming skills as having a clear comprehension of the business logic. I work in a company that publishes an ERP, where I developed features related to accounting and warehouse management. In each case, my problem was to figure out what exactly people in the trade would expect from the software. And although I did acquire some hindsight on the matter with time, I feel that learning it from the developer's point of view is not the most efficient method. So, do you have advices on how to understand the end user ? (and I mean the average, representative one). Is it possible to learn correctly from books or evening courses ? Or to work for some time in a team closer to the business logic (eg. peoples who manage the ERP within a company) ?