The challenges in creating tools for improving the software development lifecycle

Creating successful software systems for end user applications is a complex task. It is often proposed that tools can be built for development teams to help them do their job more efficiently and to help them communicate with their team members. The success of these tools relies on how well the technical community that builds software tools understands the needs of the technical community that uses these tools. How can we effectively apply a user centered design approach to building these tools?