Types of Jobs
Jobs have functional, emotional, and social dimensions
Your Progress
Section 3 of 5Every Job Has Three Dimensions
Jobs are not just functional. They have emotional and social layers.
Understanding which dimension matters most helps you prioritize features.
The Three Job Dimensions
1. Functional Job
The practical task. What needs to get done?
Example: "I need to get from point A to point B" (Uber) or "I need to organize my tasks" (Notion)
2. Emotional Job
How they want to feel. What emotional outcome do they seek?
Example: "I want to feel less anxious about forgetting things" (Notion) or "I want to feel accomplished" (Peloton)
3. Social Job
How they want to be seen. What identity or status do they signal?
Example: "I want to look like a serious athlete" (Peloton) or "I want colleagues to see me as organized" (Notion)
Classify Real Products
Job Type Classifier
Every job has functional, emotional, and social dimensions. One is usually dominant.
Which Dimension Matters Most?
All three dimensions exist. But one is usually dominant. That is where you compete.
Functional Dominant
People tolerate bad design if it gets the job done.
Examples: Excel, AWS, Stripe
Emotional Dominant
People pay premium for how it makes them feel.
Examples: Peloton, Calm, Apple
Social Dominant
People care about signaling identity or status.
Examples: LinkedIn, Instagram, Tesla
Choose Your Focus
Job Priority Matrix
What type of job should you prioritize? It depends on your product category.
Functional-First Products
Win by doing the job better, faster, or cheaper
Examples:
Product Strategy:
Focus on performance, reliability, and features. Emotional/social are nice-to-have.
Do Not Try to Win on All Three
Pick the dominant job dimension for your category. Be world-class on that. The others are secondary. Trying to win everywhere means winning nowhere.
Key Takeaways
- •Every job has functional, emotional, and social dimensions.
- •One dimension is usually dominant—that is where you compete.
- •Functional-first: Win on performance and features (Excel, Stripe).
- •Emotional-first: Win on brand and experience (Peloton, Calm).
- •Social-first: Win on status and identity (LinkedIn, Tesla).