Jobs to Be Done
Framework
Understand customer needs through jobs.
Overview
JTBD views products as "hired" by customers to do specific "jobs" in their lives. Focus on functional, emotional, and social dimensions of why customers use solutions.
Why It Matters
Shifts thinking from features to customer struggles, leading to better innovation and market fit.
Key Components
- Functional Job: The core task
- Emotional Job: How user wants to feel
- Social Job: How user wants to be perceived
- Struggles: Pains with current solutions
How to Apply
Interview customers about purchase moments; map jobs hierarchy; identify underserved jobs; ideate solutions.
Examples
- Milkshake as morning commute companion (Clayton Christensen)
- Airbnb solving "feel at home while traveling"
- Slack addressing team communication frustrations
Pros/Cons and Pitfalls
Pros: Deep customer insights leading to innovative solutions. Cons: Requires extensive qualitative research. Pitfalls: Misinterpreting jobs as features; overlooking emotional aspects.
Variations/Adaptations
Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI) by Tony Ulwick, which quantifies JTBD.
Related Tools
Source
Developed by Clayton Christensen and popularized in "Competing Against Luck".
Interactive Framework Tool
Interactive JTBD Prioritizer
Add jobs with Importance (1-10), Satisfaction (1-10). Click Prioritize to see list and bubble chart (size: opportunity, x: importance, y: satisfaction gap).
| Job Description | Importance (1-10) | Current Satisfaction (1-10) | |
|---|---|---|---|