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Customer Discovery

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)

Jobs to Be Done is a framework for understanding what customers actually want to accomplish. It focuses on the "jobs" customers are trying to do in their lives, rather than demographic segments or features.

When to Use This Framework

Understanding customer motivation
Discovering unmet needs
Breaking into new markets

How to Apply This Framework

  1. 1

    Conduct customer interviews

  2. 2

    Identify the job to be done

  3. 3

    Map job stages (before/during/after)

  4. 4

    Uncover competing solutions

  5. 5

    Document causal mechanisms

  6. 6

    Test hypothesis with new customers

Real-World Examples

Airbnb identifying job: travel locally

Netflix discovering job: entertainment without commitment

Slack capturing job: asynchronous communication

Strengths

  • Reveals true customer motivations
  • Identifies competitive threats beyond obvious competitors
  • Creates more innovative products

Limitations

  • Time-intensive interviews needed
  • Can be abstract and hard to measure
  • Requires skilled facilitation

Related Frameworks

Consider combining this framework with:

Jobs MapValue Stream MappingDesign Thinking

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