Homebrew magic item with your players

I made the mistake of building homebrew items for specific characters but not telling the players who they were for. For example, I made gauntlets that provide a mini-smite for my fighter since they always talk about not dealing enough damage, and filled with flavor that player would like. When they received it, the party decided to give it to the sorcerer, who has made a single melee attack in the past 4 levels.

This taught me that maybe my own ideas for items don’t quite align with what my players like. So the next item I made, I made with the player it was intended for. And. They. Loved it.

The other advantage is that they have an intuitive understanding of what the item does, so you can make it somewhat more in depth if you choose.