Jobs to be Done
Understand why people hire your product and what job they need done
Your Progress
Section 1 of 5People Do Not Buy Products—They Hire Them
Nobody wakes up wanting a drill. They want a hole in the wall.
Nobody wants email software. They want to feel on top of their inbox.
Nobody wants task management. They want to stop forgetting things.
Jobs to be Done (JTBD) is a framework for understanding what job people are trying to get done when they use your product.
The Core Idea
"When I [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]."
This is a job. Your product is hired to do this job. If your product does the job better than alternatives, people will keep hiring it.
See the Difference
Feature Thinking vs Job Thinking
✗ Feature Thinking
Users want music streaming with offline mode
✓ Job Thinking
Users want to control their mood throughout the day
Why this matters: The job is not listening to music. The job is feeling a certain way.
Product Impact: This is why Spotify invests in mood-based playlists, not just more songs.
Why Jobs to be Done Matters
1. Focus on Outcomes
Stop building features. Start solving jobs. Features are means. Jobs are ends.
2. Identify Real Competition
Your competitor is not another app. It is the way people currently do the job.
3. Discover Opportunity
When you see the job, you see gaps. What part of the job is still painful?
4. Build What Matters
Prioritize features that help users do the job better, faster, or easier.
Try Writing a Job Statement
Build a Job Statement
Jobs follow a pattern: When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome].
Fill in all fields to see your job statement
Example: Milkshakes
Fast food chain wanted to sell more milkshakes. They asked: "What job are people hiring milkshakes to do?"
The Discovery
Most milkshakes were sold in the morning. To commuters. Who had a long boring drive ahead.
The Job
"When I am driving to work and bored, I want to make my commute more interesting, so I can arrive at work without feeling like I wasted time."
The milkshake competed with bagels, bananas, and boredom—not other drinks.
The Product Decision
They made milkshakes thicker (lasted longer), added fruit chunks (more interesting), and put them at the front of the drive-thru. Sales jumped.
Jobs Are Not About Your Product
Jobs exist whether your product exists or not. People were doing the job before you showed up. Your product is just a better way to do it.
Key Takeaways
- •People hire products to do a job: "When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]."
- •Focus on the job, not features. Features are means. Jobs are ends.
- •Your competition is the current way people do the job, not just other products.
- •Understanding jobs helps you prioritize what to build and why.