One of the speakers at the writing conference I attended virtually last year gave a helpful suggestion for understanding readers' needs. To ferret out readers' felt needs, he recommended reading the reviews of similar books in your subject or genre. Felt is the operative word here because it indicates what readers feel they need, the areas in which they feel lacking, or at least in need of improvement.
Once the conference was over, I searched on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads for homeschooling books I was already familiar with as well as new titles. I took copious notes and after reading hundreds of reviews, I decided it was a sufficient sampling. Then I sifted through them to find the stand-outs. At least twenty needs were repeated often enough to warrant noting on my list to keep in mind while writing my book. During the research exercise, I also learned a few surprising things that readers liked or did not like. One of these was the high expectation for lists at the back of the book. I listened and have already written the chapter of lists of curricula and recommended books. I hope my readers will find it a handy resource.
I leave you with a photo of Cat Mountain in the Sonora Desert. The orange blossoms that seem to float in the midground are blooms of the Ocotillo.