Framework
Jobs To Be Done
People hire products to make progress on a job in their life.
Summary
Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) reframes products as tools that customers 'hire' to make progress in specific circumstances. It shifts focus from demographics to motivations.
History
Articulated by Clayton Christensen and colleagues in the early 2000s, with roots in the work of Tony Ulwick.
How it works
- Identify the job a customer is trying to get done.
- Map the functional, emotional, and social dimensions.
- Find what is fired and hired when they switch.
- Design for the job, not the demographic.
Advantages
- Surfaces non-obvious competition
- Connects strategy to behavior
- Inspires positioning
Limitations
- Interview technique requires practice
- Can be misapplied as a vocabulary skin
Examples
- - Milkshakes 'hired' for boring commutes
- - Snickers as hunger relief, not candy
Implementation guide
- - Conduct switch interviews with recent customers
- - Build a job map
- - Use it to brief product and marketing
Jobs To Be Done - FAQ
- How is JTBD different from personas?
- Personas describe who. JTBD describes why and when, which is usually more actionable.
Related frameworks
SWOT Analysis
Map Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats on one page.
Lean Startup
Build-Measure-Learn loops that shorten the cost of being wrong.
Business Model Canvas
A 9-block visual model for how a business creates and captures value.
Blue Ocean Strategy
Compete in uncontested market space instead of fighting in red oceans.