<p>I think one problem with your approach is that people who are not that knowledgeable about statistics may 1) Be asking very unreasonable things, so your educated guesses could be way off, since they assume reasonability  and 2) These same people may not recognize when you make assumptions.</p>

<p>I am reminded of a quote from Abraham Lincoln:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>If I had 6 hours to chop down a tree, I would spend 4 of them
  sharpening my axe</p>
</blockquote>

<p>With my clients, I often spend a LOT of time figuring out what they want. (Perhaps you do too). I have never found that this time is wasted; indeed, I sometimes still err by not spending enough time doing this.</p>
