In short, Jobs To Be Done is a framework for innovation. It offers a powerful lens through which businesses can innovate and develop products that genuinely solve customers’ problems.
It puts the customer at the center of your research, and helps you focus on the underlying goals or “jobs” that customers are trying to accomplish in their lives. Rather than focusing solely on product features or customer demographics, JTBD emphasizes the outcome that customers desire when they “hire” a product or service.
Why Jobs to Be Done Matters
Traditional market research often segments customers by demographic data (age, gender, income, etc.) or product preferences. These approaches don’t always reveal why customers choose a particular product or service or how businesses can provide better solutions.
JTBD goes deeper by understanding the functional, emotional, and social drivers behind a purchase decision. This allows companies to:
- Drive innovation by identifying unmet customer needs.
- Prioritize product features based on the job customers are trying to complete, rather than assuming what they want.
- Design products with purpose, ensuring they solve real problems and create value.
- Achieve better customer loyalty, since solving a core job typically leads to a more satisfied and long-term user base.
Types of Jobs
JTBD is often divided into three categories, which can help businesses better understand the different dimensions of what their customers are trying to achieve:
-
Functional Jobs: The practical, task-oriented goals customers need to complete. For instance, using a food delivery app to order dinner or sending an email to communicate with a colleague.
-
Emotional Jobs: These jobs deal with the way customers want to feel after completing a task. For example, a fitness app not only helps users get fit but also gives them a sense of accomplishment and well-being.
-
Social Jobs: These focus on how customers want to be perceived by others. For instance, wearing designer clothes may serve a social job of signaling status or belonging to a particular group.
Understanding all three aspects allows companies to deliver a more holistic and appealing product experience.
How to Apply Jobs to Be Done
Identify Customer Jobs
The first step in applying JTBD is identifying what jobs your customers are trying to accomplish. This involves in-depth customer interviews, observations, and empathy mapping. During this process you want to answer: What problem are customers facing that prompts them to use your product? What goals are they trying to achieve by using your product or a competing solution? What are their frustrations or pain points with existing options?
If you’re designing a new ride-hailing app, ask users not only about their transportation needs but also about how they feel during the experience. Do they want to feel safe? Do they need more control over their trip?
Uncover Current Solutions
Customers are often using existing products or makeshift workarounds to get their jobs done. Observing how customers are solving problems today (even with non-ideal tools) can provide clues for better, more innovative solutions.
Before the iPod, people used CD players or MP3 files downloaded onto computers. The iPod innovated by offering a much more convenient way to manage and access music.
Define the Job Statement
After identifying customer jobs, create a job statement. This is a clear, actionable statement that describes what customers are trying to achieve. A good job statement follows this format: “When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [desired outcome].”
Example: “When I’m commuting to work, I want to listen to informative content, so I can make the most of my time and learn new things.”
Prioritize Jobs
Not all jobs are equally important to customers. Some jobs are critical and high-priority, while others are “nice-to-have” solutions. Understanding which jobs matter most to your audience helps you focus on what will have the most impact.
In a project management tool, users may prioritize easy task-tracking (functional job), but they might also want to feel in control of their projects (emotional job). Focus on solving the highest-priority needs first.
Design and Innovate Around the Job
With a clear understanding of customer jobs, you can now design products or improve your services to better meet these needs. The goal is to create a solution that effectively solves the customer’s problem in a simpler, faster, or more meaningful way than existing options.
Consider how Dropbox innovated around the job of “file storage.” Before Dropbox, people used external hard drives or USB sticks, but Dropbox made it effortless to store and access files from anywhere, solving the job of keeping files safe and accessible in a far better way.
Test and Iterate
Once you’ve designed a solution around a key job, test it with users and gather feedback. Does the product really solve the core job? Are there new jobs that have surfaced? JTBD is not a one-time exercise—it’s a continuous process of understanding evolving customer needs.
Closing thoughts
JTBD is about understanding the “why” behind customer actions. It helps businesses innovate by focusing on solving real problems. Apply JTBD by identifying jobs, defining clear job statements, and designing products that solve those jobs effectively.