Quadrants of User Intents

In order to classify various intents and needs that individual users might have, Jordan Julien suggests a four-quadrant diagram:

Explicit Specific: Users know what they want; would tell directly.
Explicit General: Users don't know what they want; would tell directly.
Implicit General: Users don't know what they want; browsing & navigating (indirectly).
Implicit Specific: Users know what they want; browsing & navigating (indirectly).

Therefore, to use this approach while designing a website, users' intent should be identified first.
Then, for users having explicit intents, give ways for them to state their needs; otherwise, find ways to persuade them to explicitly state their needs.

(Source: The Importance of Knowing User Intent)