Their goals have many different facets, and are quite complex. This became obvious when we were at the Brimfield Antiques Fair. We couldn't have dreamed up a task like that if we tried. We saw similar things when we were watching users prepare for an upcoming hiking trip. One user needed to buy a new jacket for a hike up Mount Washington.
Users also revise or refine their goals as they are looking.
Seeing the jackets triggered a memory that made him revise his mission. In the broadest sense, her goal was simple - to find a present. But she had a lot of criteria that made her goal much more specific. I'm not sure what I want to get her. I've only met her a few times, so I don't know what she likes.