Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)
Design Processes
Understanding what people are trying to accomplish, rather than who they are.
In practice
Jobs to be done reframes research around the progress a person is trying to make in a given situation — the 'job' they hire a product to do — rather than their demographics or the product's features. A drill is hired to make a hole; a milkshake is hired to make a commute less boring. It explains why people switch, what they compare, and what 'better' actually means to them.
Questions
What is Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)?
JTBD is a framework for understanding customer motivation by identifying the underlying goal a person hires a product to achieve in a specific context.
Why do you use Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)?
Features and personas describe the product and the person. Jobs describe the reason, which is what a competitor can steal and what a better design must serve.
How do you use/apply Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)?
Interview people who recently switched, uncover the situation, struggle and desired outcome, write job statements, and design and measure against those.
When do you use Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)?
At the start of a product or feature, and whenever growth stalls and nobody knows why.
Who uses Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)?
Product designers, researchers, strategists and founders.
