Overview
Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) reframes what a customer is doing when they buy: they're 'hiring' a product to make progress on a job in their life — functional, emotional and social. The famous example: people don't want a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole; and really, they want the shelf up and the satisfaction of a tidy home.
The reframe changes who your competitors are (anything else that could do the job) and where innovation comes from (doing the job better, not adding features to the product).
When to use it
Understanding why customers really choose a product, and where the real competition and opportunity lie.
How to use it
Find the job
Ask what progress the customer is trying to make — the situation and the desired outcome, not the product.
Understand the full job
Include the functional, emotional and social dimensions of that progress.
Map the alternatives
Identify everything else they could 'hire' for the job — that's your real competition.
Find where the job is done badly
Locate the friction and unmet needs in current solutions.
Design for the job
Build the thing that does the job better, not just the product with more features.
Worked example
A milkshake chain wondered how to sell more shakes. JTBD research found many were bought in the morning by commuters 'hiring' a shake for a boring, one-handed drive — competing with bananas and bagels, not other desserts. The fix wasn't a tastier shake but a thicker one that lasted the commute. The job, not the product category, revealed the opportunity.
Common pitfalls
- Defining the job as the product ('the job is to use our app') instead of the customer's progress.
- Ignoring the emotional and social dimensions of the job.
- Over-narrowing the job so you miss the real competitive set.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'hiring' a product mean?
Customers 'hire' a product to make progress on a job in their life. If it does the job well they keep hiring it; if not, they fire it and hire an alternative.
How does JTBD change who my competitors are?
Your competition is anything the customer could hire for the same job — which is often outside your product category entirely.