The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is a structured way to understand consumer behavior by looking at what people are trying to accomplish in their daily lives. Instead of only focusing on demographics or purchase history, JTBD asks a more powerful question: What is the customer trying to get done, and why?

This approach helps you see products from the customer's perspective. They're not just buying “a drill,” for example – they’re hiring the drill to get the job of “creating a hole” done. This shift in thinking reveals untapped needs and allows teams to create more meaningful solutions.

How Jobs to Be Done Works

At its core, JTBD focuses on the goal or outcome the customer is hoping to achieve. These are known as the customer’s “jobs.” These jobs can be functional (solving a problem), emotional (feeling successful or secure), or social (influencing perception from others).

Key elements of the JTBD approach include:

 
• Jobs: What the customer is trying to do
 
• Pains: Frustrations or barriers in trying to complete that job
 
• Gains: Desired benefits or outcomes

Understanding these components helps businesses design offerings that align better with user expectations and real-world needs.

Example of Jobs To Be Done Framework In Action

Imagine a company designing lunchboxes. Instead of assuming parents want a stylish design, they explore the JTBD behind packing a lunch. They find the real job is “keeping a child’s lunch fresh and leak-free during a busy morning routine.” With this in mind, they redesign the product for easier handling, better insulation, and less mess – prioritizing the actual job, not just the features.

By taking this approach, companies can move beyond traditional market research and connect deeply with customer intent. JTBD frameworks complement other methods but stand out because they frame people as active problem-solvers, not passive buyers.

If you're learning how to use the Jobs to Be Done framework, focus first on observing real behavior and listening to the language people use when describing their challenges. These insights often highlight jobs they’re already trying to solve – just not in ways your product currently addresses.

JTBD works well across industries and categories. Whether you're in tech, retail, healthcare, or consumer goods, understanding the jobs customers are trying to do can guide smarter, more relevant innovation strategies.

From growing start-ups to established enterprise brands, more and more companies are turning to Jobs to Be Done not just as a theory, but as a practical tool to drive results. Why? Because JTBD taps into something fundamental: people don’t just buy products, they 'hire' them to achieve something.

By focusing on actual customer goals, JTBD helps businesses uncover unmet needs, discover user pain points, and guide product innovation in ways that feel relevant and intuitive. This leads to clearer insight, faster development cycles, and better business outcomes.

How JTBD Helps Companies Grow

Understanding customer jobs allows companies to:

 
• Identify new opportunities by recognizing common friction points or workarounds customers rely on
 
• Improve product-market fit by aligning features with real-world tasks customers want to accomplish
 
• Strengthen user experience by reducing barriers and enhancing perceived value
 
• Prioritize roadmaps by focusing development around what matters most

These benefits make JTBD highly adaptable across industries. Whether you're launching a new product, optimizing an existing service, or trying to extend into adjacent markets, the framework helps you center decisions around real outcomes.

JTBD in Action

A fitness app may notice low engagement from new users. Instead of assuming users don’t want to work out, a JTBD study finds that these users are trying to quickly build daily routines with minimal decision-making. With that insight, the app adds onboarding flows that suggest pre-set weekly plans – making the "job" of starting a new fitness habit easier and more sticky.

Or take a fictional example in financial services: a bank explores why users aren’t adopting its budget planner. Through JTBD interviews, they find the target job is not "create a budget," but rather "feel in control of my monthly money." That emotional goal wasn’t being satisfied. A redesigned app that tracks confidence as well as spending addresses the deeper job and sparks higher retention.

Real Value Without Complexity

You don’t need to overhaul your entire product strategy overnight. One of the reasons companies keep returning to JTBD is because it brings clarity – especially in cross-functional teams. By aligning everyone around the same customer jobs, teams reduce friction in decision-making and stay focused on the most impactful needs.

Jobs to Be Done doesn’t replace other market research methods – it enhances them. When paired with strong qualitative and quantitative research (like through custom studies tailored to your audience), JTBD helps provide context to the “why” behind decisions. It’s a smart starting point for any customer-centric growth strategy.

Up next, we’ll explore five specific Jobs to Be Done case studies from real-world company scenarios to see how this framework translated directly into product innovation and measurable business growth.

Understanding the theory behind Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) is one thing. Seeing how companies apply it in real-world scenarios brings it to life – and shows why it's such a powerful tool for customer understanding, product innovation, and business growth.

1. A Meal Kit Service Targets a Time-Saving Job

A meal kit startup discovered through consumer insights that the primary job busy parents were hiring dinner for wasn’t just nourishment – it was reclaiming time and reducing mental fatigue. By framing their product as solving the job of “getting a healthy meal on the table without having to think about it,” they shifted their messaging and simplified their recipes. This led to a spike in new users and improved retention.

2. A Fitness App Supports Emotional Goals

Rather than just tracking runs or calories burned, a fitness app applied the JTBD framework and uncovered that users hired fitness routines to improve confidence and mental health. As a result, they redesigned their onboarding to emphasize well-being milestones and included motivational check-ins. The JTBD approach improved the overall user experience and satisfaction scores.

3. A Toy Brand Aims Beyond Play

A children’s toy brand applied JTBD to explore why parents buy toys beyond entertainment. The team discovered an emotional job: parents wanted to feel like they were contributing to their child’s development. They redesigned packaging and marketing to emphasize learning outcomes, not just fun. This strategic shift positioned the toys more effectively in a crowded market and boosted sales.

4. A Banking App Simplifies Stress

In financial services, a regional bank used JTBD-focused research to identify that customers weren’t just “managing money” – they were hiring digital banking tools to feel secure and in control. The company simplified its user interface and launched proactive alerts, helping users avoid overdraft surprises. This change reduced customer support calls and increased app usage.

5. A Furniture Retailer Rethinks Solutions

One furniture company realized new homeowners weren’t just buying couches – they were “creating a space that feels like home.” This insight helped the business bundle design consultation services with its sales process. It provided a tailored shopping experience that addressed customers’ deeper needs and improved conversion rates on high-ticket items.

These examples (fictional and for reference only) show how adapting product development and messaging based on customer needs – and their underlying motivations – unlocks powerful results. By framing offerings around the jobs customers are truly trying to get done, brands can differentiate themselves and align more closely with real-world consumer behavior.

The Jobs to Be Done framework doesn’t just uncover unique insights – it becomes a critical decision-making lens across product strategy. By focusing on what users truly need in their lives (their “job”), teams can prioritize the right features, create more cohesive user experiences, and position offerings with clarity.

JTBD Helps You Solve the Right Problem

All too often, organizations fall into the habit of building what’s technologically possible or what competitors have. JTBD grounds product decisions in what people are trying to accomplish, offering a compass to identify what matters most.

For instance, if users “hire” a budgeting tool to reduce anxiety about finances, a feature like customizable alerts might rank higher than new analytics charts. JTBD ensures that trade-offs are made with user outcomes in mind, not internal assumption.

It Prioritizes Long-Term Customer Value

Customer needs evolve. Without a framework, product choices may drift from delivering real value. With JTBD, teams stay closer to the user’s ongoing context – the emotional and functional needs that guide behavior and decisions. This helps you:

• Design features that align with moments that matter in the user journey
• Spot when to simplify vs. when to add functionality
• Create messaging that connects emotionally, not just functionally

Using JTBD in market research leads to more focused customer insights that aren’t just about preferences, but about motivations – such as “I’m hiring this app to manage my time better” or “I need this service to take something off my plate.” These kinds of insights can guide smarter trade-offs when choosing between roadmap features.

Improved Cross-Functional Alignment

One less obvious – but powerful – benefit of JTBD is how it aligns teams. When everyone from product, marketing, and customer experience teams speak the same language around the core customer job, collaboration improves. Instead of debating features or campaigns, you’re jointly solving a shared problem for the customer.

Ultimately, Jobs to Be Done doesn’t replace traditional product development frameworks – it enhances them. By adding a deeper layer of context around why people hire your product or service, it raises the impact of every decision, helping fuel product innovation that drives sustainable business growth.

If you’re ready to explore how to use the Jobs to Be Done framework, the good news is: you don’t need a PhD in consumer behavior. Even small steps toward understanding the jobs your customers are trying to solve can make a big impact. Here are some practical ways to begin applying JTBD in your organization.

Start with Curiosity

Every great JTBD discovery begins by asking: What is our customer really trying to achieve? Move beyond surface-level usage data. Talk to real people or analyze customer feedback for common themes, frustrations, or needs they’re expressing. It’s about shifting focus from what people buy to what they’re trying to get done in their lives.

Conduct Small-Scale JTBD Interviews

Informal one-on-one interviews centered around customer journeys can reveal valuable patterns. Ask questions like:

• When did you first realize you needed something?
• What were you hoping this product or service would help you accomplish?
• What happened after you bought or used it?

Look for consistent jobs across different types of customers. These become the foundation for future product or marketing strategies – supported by real consumer insights, not assumptions.

Map Jobs Against Touchpoints

As you gather data, map out how each job connects to your customer experience. At what point in their journey do they make decisions? Where do they feel friction? Where could you do a better job “helping them hire” your solution?

This kind of mapping uncovers moments of opportunity. You may spot places to simplify, add guidance, or put the right message in front of the right segment at the right time.

Get Cross-Team Buy-In

Jobs to Be Done is most effective when it’s integrated across departments – not left in one team's hands. Share findings across product design, marketing, and leadership teams. Use job statements to spark unified decision-making and support consistent messaging across channels.

Consider Expert Support

If you’re ready to go deeper – or need help designing a custom research approach – a JTBD-focused market research partner can guide the process. At SIVO, we combine qualitative and quantitative tools to uncover human-driven insights that shine a light on what motivates customer behavior and reveal clear paths for innovation strategy and business growth.

Whether you’re launching a new product, entering a new market, or improving user experience, JTBD gives you a powerful way to stay grounded in what matters most: solving real problems for real people.