FROM PRODUCT TO OUTCOME DRIVEN INNOVATION
Job to be done is a perspective, a lens through which you can describe your market, customer, needs, and service. In short, it describes the role you might be able to play in helping a user through a struggle. The product is for users a means to an end. They are ‘just’ trying to get a job done. Your product or service seems to help them achieve the challenge of improving into a better situation or a 'better me'. So at the center of our attention is nót the product, nor the customer, it’s the core functional “job” the customer is trying to get done. Like, ….
Job To Be Done
(JTBD)
SOME TIPS & TRICKS
Based on our experience, some tips & tricks to define the Job or Jobs To Be Done.
OUTCOME vs DESIRE
BEYOND THE ACTION
UNLOCK PROGRESS
Henry Ford said “If I asked people what they want, they would say faster horses.” A 'job' is not a customer’s expressed desire or feature. The feature or the benefit described the product, the job embodies the user perspective.
Can you visualize the customer acting this Job out? Then you are probably describing just an activity not the real JTBD. Take it an abstraction level-up; it's what they really strive for, ór what they try to avoid!!
“How is the customer better since starting to use XYZ?” is an interesting starting point. Ask this question for different users or different situations. Do not ask 'What job are people hiring my product for”, rather ask, “what job is the customer trying to get done.”
SIGNIFY STATUS
Customers are looking for a 'new situation' or a 'new fee'. We often use a + or - to signify whether the job is over- or underdelivered at the moment.
Ánd, when drawing your own model, you can size the bubbles depending on importance.
START USING THE JTBD MODEL
A. WHAT IS THE CORE JOB TO BE DONE?
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FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION:
- PERSONAL EMOTIONAL DESCRIPTION:
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SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DESCRIPTION:
B. WHAT IS THE RELATED JOB TO BE DONE?
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FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION:
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PERSONAL EMOTIONAL DESCRIPTION:
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SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DESCRIPTION:
Take a guided tour using our smart typeform coaching tool.
How the customer feels about the solution.
How the customer believes he or she is perceived by others while using the solution.
The practical customer requirements for the task that customers wants to achieve.
How the customer feels about the solution.
The practical requirements for the task customers want to accomplish in conjunction
How the customer believes he or she is perceived by others while using the solution.
* PLEASE DO SIGNIFY EACH STATEMENT WITH A + OR - WHETHER
THE USER IS OVER OR UNDER DELIVERED AT THIS MOMENT.
C. HOW TO FORMULATE THE JTBD STATEMENT?
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I WANT TO [user & action]
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OBJECT [object]
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WHEN [situation]
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SO I CAN [expected outcome]
D. DEFINE OUTCOME EXPECTATIONS?
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PROGRESS [measure]
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ATTRIBUTE [unit of measure]
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CONSTRAINTS [object of control]
VIDEO TUTORIAL
A 5 minute video instruction on how we use the Job To Be Done Challenge
The Jobs to be Done perspective is not a study of how people use your products, it’s the study of why!
"Don’t build better cameras — build better photographers." is a striking phrase by game-developer Kathy Sierra. She is trying to make us aware of the fact that we do not need more product-driven innovation with more and more features (feature-creep), yet we need to develop services that are outcome-driven. Services that help our users grow! This model will help you frame your market or service through the lens of what the users is trying to accomplish.
A FEW REAL LIFE EXAMPLES
Some examples we have used and/or encountered in our recent client sessions
"When I go running I want music to motivate and pace myself with some music."
“Keep my money safe, and help me grow it.”
Click on one of the examples to see a filled in Job-to-be-done framework with that real life case
DARE TO ASK!
Our coaches are open to any questions!
BACKGROUND MATERIALS
NEXT STEPS?
The result of Clayton Christensen’s research was the “jobs to be done” theory that he wrote about in his Harvard article What Customers Want from Your Products Or if you like a video better, check out Clayton Christen his lecture.
Our interview with the late Clayton Christensen on Disruptive innovation and the Innovators dilemma, you can watch here.
You can get a free copy of the book Jobs To Be Done by Tony Ulwick via this link. Or order his previous work What Customers Want: Using Outcome-Driven Innovation to Create Breakthrough Products and Services via Amazon for example.
Ok, you have filled in the framework and crafted a Job To Be Done statement, and now what? The JTBD model is linked to the following mindsets, skillsets & toolsets:
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Using Personas
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Empathy mapping
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Reframing techniques
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Ladder of abstraction
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Features, Functions Benefits
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Customer development
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Company purpose
