Understanding customer needs is crucial for product success 🎯. The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework provides a valuable approach to innovation by focusing on the fundamental “jobs” customers are trying to accomplish 🛠️. By understanding these jobs, businesses can develop products and services that meet customer needs and stand out from the competition 🚀.

A Brief Explanation of JTBD

JTBD is a framework that helps businesses understand and prioritize customer needs by focusing on the “jobs” customers are trying to get done 📌. It emphasizes that customers “hire” products and services to solve specific problems or achieve desired outcomes 🤝. Developed by Tony Ulwick, a veteran of innovation management 🧠, JTBD encourages outcome-driven thinking in product development.

By focusing on the jobs customers are trying to accomplish, businesses can:
✅ Reveal actual customer needs and desires, leading to better products
✅ Design memorable customer experiences that cater to these needs
✅ Predict market success by aligning products with customer jobs
✅ Craft compelling marketing messages that resonate with customer desires

What is a “Job”?

In the context of JTBD, a “job” represents something a customer wants to accomplish in a specific situation 🔧. It’s a metaphor for the customer’s desired outcome when using a product or service. For example, a customer “hires” laundry detergent 🧴 to get their clothes clean and fresh 👕. Jobs have functional, emotional, and social dimensions, encompassing practical benefits, desired feelings, and social perceptions.

JTBD shifts the focus from simply buying products to “hiring” them to perform specific jobs 🔄. Rather than focusing on product features, businesses should prioritize the outcomes customers seek. For instance, customers aren’t buying a Grammarly subscription; they’re “hiring” Grammarly to help them write professionally 📝. The focus is on the job itself, not specific solutions. Customers may use different products or services to get the same job done.

While products and technology evolve 📈, the underlying jobs customers need to get done remain relatively stable 🛠️. This stability allows businesses to create long-lasting solutions by focusing on the enduring job.

JTBD emphasizes understanding the desired outcomes, not just the product features 🎯. This outcome-driven approach leads to developing products that truly meet customer needs rather than just offering a collection of features 📊.

Identifying Jobs

Identifying customer jobs involves understanding the tasks, goals, or problems they face in specific situations 🔍. This can be done through observation, interviews, and by analyzing existing customer data 📑. Ultimately, you will translate these insights into a job statement.

Create a Job Statement

Job statements clearly describe what a group of people are trying to achieve in a given situation 🗒️. These statements should be concise, action-oriented, and solution-agnostic.

Here’s a template to try:

“When {context}, I want to {job} because I am {motivation}, so I can {outcome}, [without OPTIONAL {pain point/constraint}].”

• Context: Background information about when and where the job happens 🕰️.
• Job: The task the user wants to complete 🎯.
• Motivation: The core reason users need to complete the job ⚡.
• Outcome: The eventual result when the user successfully completes the job 🏆.
• Pain point/Constraint: A limitation or obstacle to achieving the outcome ❌.

Here are some examples:

• When I'm cooking dinner for my family, I want to prepare a healthy meal quickly because I am short on time but care about nutrition, so I can feed my family well, without sacrificing quality or resorting to unhealthy fast food options.

• When I'm traveling to a new city, I want to find authentic local experiences because I am interested in immersing myself in the culture, so I can create meaningful memories, without falling into tourist traps.

• When I'm shopping for clothes online, I want to visualize how items will look on me because I am concerned about fit and style, so I can make confident purchases, without the hassle of returns and exchanges.

• When I'm learning a new language, I want to practice speaking with native speakers because I am eager to improve my fluency, so I can communicate effectively in real-life situations, without feeling embarrassed about making mistakes.

• When I'm attending a networking event, I want to remember important details about new contacts because I am building professional relationships, so I can follow up effectively, without appearing forgetful or unprofessional.

Benefits of Using JTBD

🚀 Better Understanding of Customer Needs: Gain deeper insights into customer needs and motivations.
💡 Improved Product Innovation: Foster innovation by focusing on customer outcomes rather than product features.
🎯 Enhanced Marketing Strategies: Tailor marketing messages that resonate with the target audience’s needs and desires.

Case Studies: Real-World Examples of JTBD Application

The Milkshake Example

Harvard professor Clayton Christensen’s famous milkshake study illustrates the power of JTBD:

• A fast-food chain was struggling to increase milkshake sales despite traditional market research efforts 🍨.
• By interviewing the customers, JTBD research revealed that 40% of milkshakes were purchased by morning commuters 🚗.
• The “job” these customers hired the milkshake for was to:
  • Keep them occupied during a long, boring commute 🕰️.
  • Stave off hunger until lunchtime 🥪.
  • Be consumed easily with one hand while driving 🚙.
• Understanding this job led to product improvements like making the milkshake thicker and more interesting (adding fruit chunks 🍓), resulting in a seven-fold increase in sales 📈.

American Girl Dolls

American Girl dolls exemplify successful application of JTBD principles 🧸:

• The company identified an unaddressed job: parents wanting their children to hold onto childhood longer while creating meaningful connections 🤗.
• They addressed this job by:
  • Creating dolls with rich backstories tied to historical events 🏺.
  • Designing relatable characters for girls 👧.
  • Crafting a special purchasing experience through catalogs and dedicated stores 🛍️.
  • Making the unboxing experience an exciting event 🎁.
  • Offering unique store experiences like birthday parties 🎂 and doll “babysitting” services.

This approach has led to long-term success, with American Girl celebrating over 30 years in business 🎉 and commanding premium prices 💵.

Conclusion

These examples demonstrate how understanding the jobs customers are trying to get done can lead to innovative products, improved customer experiences, and significant business growth 📊. By focusing on the underlying needs and motivations of customers, businesses can create solutions that truly resonate with their target audience 💬.