Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a method (tool) created to reduce the guesswork of innovation. To that end, JTBD is intended to help us understand the relative importance of end user needs. And, to help us understand the end user’s perceived satisfaction with available solutions that address each of those needs. Understanding both helps us prioritize and focus our work on what matters to deliver value with speed and certainty.
The core premise of JTBD is that people “hire” things (products, services, experiences) to achieve a goal. You may have heard the quote “People don’t buy 1/4 inch drill bits, they buy 1/4 inch holes.” The idea is that it’s the outcome (the 1/4 inch hole in this case) that people are interested in, not the product, service, or experience itself. In order to reduce the guesswork of innovation we need to identify the core outcomes our end user is trying to achieve.
From the end user’s perspective there are 3 core outcomes to every experience — functional, social, and emotional. It’s important that we understand and design for all 3 outcomes, starting with the emotional outcome and working back to the functional.
Everything we do, we do because of how we believe we’ll feel when we’re done. Either a feeling we’re trying gain or one we’re trying to avoid. Many times it’s the latter. We’re also concerned with how others will perceive us and our actions. Understanding these emotional outcomes is how we deliver meaningful innovation.
Why “hire” JTBD?
There are several reasons why one might choose to use JTBD as part of their overall design and innovation process. JTBD is not a stand alone method, but rather a complimentary method to other UX methods.
These are the reasons I hire JTBD within my process:
- JTBD addresses all 3 outcomes — functional (what they’re trying to achieve); social (how they want to be perceived by others); and emotional (how they hope to feel about themselves)
- JTBD provides an quantitative method to calculate the relative importance of needs
- JTBD provides an quantitative method to calculate the perceived satisfaction with current solutions to address the needs
- JTBD favors segmentation rather than generalization when analyzing data
- JTBD works with other UX methods like; personas, journey mapping, empathy maps, interviews, and usability testing to name a few — it requires qualitative and quantitative (UX data) input
- JTBD Job Stories help communicate end user needs to the team to gain alignment, and inform the design process and decisions
When should I NOT hire JTBD?
As I mentioned, Jobs To Be Done works with other UX methods and techniques. Its key role is to help business parse UX data to prioritize and inform work based on relative importance and perceived satisfaction. That’s what you hire JTBD for.
For other parts of the process you’ll need to hire other tools.
- Hire user research (ethnography, user interviews, and observations) to gather qualitative insights direct from the end user
- Hire analytics to see a quantitative account of what end user’s have done in the past
- Hire surveys to gather quantitative insights about how end user’s perceive their behavior, beliefs, and sentiment (you should include open text fields to gather some qualitative info as well)
- Hire journey or experience mapping techniques to visualize the end user experience
- Hire usability studies to see what happens when the end user interacts with the experience you designed
- Hire personas and empathy maps to visualize the audience you and your team are designing for
JTBD is not a replacement for other UX methods or techniques (tools). It’s another tool in your UX toolbox to help you deliver meaningful experiences with confidence.
How I use JTBD – one man’s process
Let me start by saying that I don’t follow the exact method defined in any of the JTBD books. I’ve adapted JTBD to fit my specific needs and workflow. I’ve cherry-picked the parts that help me get to solutions with speed and confidence. I would encourage anyone interested in using JTBD, or any UX method, to do the same. Take the parts that work, and either modify or discard the parts that don’t. No method is all or nothing. No method is complete on its own.
This is a simplified outline of my process:
- Conduct end user and stakeholder discover sessions to determine outcomes
- Compile list of possible end user needs and goals from the research
- Use JTBD to discover relative importance of needs, and perceived satisfaction with current solutions
- Look for segments within the JTBD findings
- Look for alignments and disconnects between end user goals and business goals
- Prioritize work based on JTBD opportunity score
- Write JTBD stories, socialize with team, build backlog
- Begin low-fi designs and start testing
- Analyze results, iterate, and refine
- Repeat as needed until sufficient confidence is achieved, launch and keep learning
Following this process I have delivered solutions that have increased satisfaction as much 426%, helped deflect 52% of support center calls saving the company $118 million, and increased paid Support Program opportunity by 46%, to name but a few outcomes. I tell you this not to impress you, but to impress upon you the consistent potential of JTBD. JTBD helped me deliver a succession of win-win experiences.
Where does JTBD fall short?
When used as intended, (measure relative importance of needs and perceived satisfaction of current solutions, job stories) I’ve found no shortcomings in JTBD. It’s the best tool I’ve found to help me focus on important, unmet end user needs, and provide alignment and direction for the team. What some point to as shortcomings is in reality the limits or scope of what JTBD is intended to do. If you need something more or different you need to use other tools.
Unrealistic expectations of, or misunderstanding about, what JTBD is intended to do is where some perceive it falls short. It doesn’t help that some people promote JTBD as the end all, be all of UX methods. They downplay the other UX methods they use along with JTBD. This has led to some backlash about JTBD.
Who should I trust about JTBD?
I find it important to keep in mind that agendas on both sides drive perceptions and attitudes about JTBD. Each sides stands to make or lose money based on adoption of JTBD. Those the stand to make money will focus on the benefits. Those that stand to lose money will focus on the short comings. Both side will embellish certain details to further their agendas. Keep those agendas in mind when you read the opinions from each sides.
You may be asking yourself, ”So, what’s your agenda?” That’s a fair question. My agenda is simple, provide balance to the conversation. I will neither gain nor lose money no matter what you decide about JTBD. I’ve used JTBD, which can’t be said of some of those speaking against it. I’m sharing my experience, not my opinion.
Listen to everyone. Trust no one. Try it and find out for yourself. That’s been my approach to learning everything and anything. It’s the only way I know of to see through the agenda of others. I try it myself. If it works for me, I use it. If it doesn’t, I don’t. I put the time in to find out within the context of my work whether or not something is the right fit. I suggest you do the same.
You can’t trust people based on their name or reputation alone. It’s about whether or not they’re wrong. It’s about the fact that their experience and outcomes are based on their context of use. Your context and their context may, and most likely will, differ. Success or failure of most things depends to a large extent on the context in which it’s used. It’s like the sticker on new cars that reads, ”Your milage may vary depending you’re driving habits.” Test drive JTBD and find out what your milage is before you make a final decision.
Jobs To Be Done is legit
Make no mistake, JTBD is NOT an occasionally useful gimmick. Jobs To Be Done is a legitimate and useful tool – when used as intended. Like any tool, it will take time to master. To know why, when, and how to use it to maximum effect. To know when to reach into your toolbox and grab a different tool when you’ve hit the limit of what JTBD is intended to do.
Try JTBD in your world before you decide if does or doesn’t work.
Resources to learn more about JTBD
- [Article] The Jobs-to-be-Done Canvas from Tony Ulwick. The article includes a link to download his book JTBD (for free).
- [Book] Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christianson
- Do a search for jobs to be done and take a look at images. You’ll find lots of canvases to help you out.
- [Article] Jobs To Be Done: An Occasionally Useful UX Gimmick by Jared Spool. An opposing point of view so you have both sides of the story.
