Jobs to be Done

Jobs to be Done (JTBD) is an innovation framework developed by Clayton Christensen and collaborators. The core insight: customers don't buy products — they "hire" them to do a job. A "job" is the progress a person is trying to make in a particular circumstance. Understanding the job leads to better products than studying demographics or asking customers what they want.

1. Identify the job — What is the customer trying to accomplish? Focus on the underlying progress they want to make, not the product they're currently using.

• Use the format: "When I _____, I want to _____, so I can _____."

1. Understand the context — Jobs are defined by circumstances, not by customer attributes. The same person might "hire" different products for the same job depending on the situation.
2. Uncover the full job map:

• Functional job: The practical task they need to accomplish
• Emotional job: How they want to feel (or avoid feeling)
• Social job: How they want to be perceived by others

1. Study switching behavior — When do people "fire" one product and "hire" another? What pushes them away from the current solution? What pulls them toward the new one?
2. Design for the job — Build features and experiences that address the complete job, not just the functional aspect.
3. Identify competing solutions — Your real competition is anything the customer currently "hires" to do the same job — which may be a completely different product category.

McDonald's wanted to sell more milkshakes. Traditional approach: segment customers by demographics, ask what flavors they want, make milkshakes thicker/cheaper.

• The job: "Make my long, boring commute more interesting and keep me full until lunch."
• Competing products: Bananas (too fast), bagels (too messy), Snickers (guilt)
• Why milkshakes won: Takes 20 minutes through a straw (lasts the commute), thick (filling), one hand (can drive)

Jobs to be Done helps you innovate by understanding what customers truly need rather than what they say they want. When you understand the job, you can build products that customers eagerly "hire."