The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is a powerful tool used in market research and innovation to understand the exact motivations behind customer behavior. Instead of focusing solely on demographics or surface-level preferences, JTBD explores the underlying goal—the "job"—a customer is trying to accomplish when they choose a product or service.

Put simply, people don’t just buy products—they "hire" them to get a specific job done. That job might be functional (like commuting to work), emotional (like feeling more in control), or social (like appearing professional). By identifying these jobs, innovation teams can design products and services that align more directly with what customers truly need, not just what they say they want.

Why This Is Critical for Innovation Strategy

For innovation and product development teams, JTBD brings clarity. It helps teams move beyond surface-level insights and focus on the deeper motivations that lead to product adoption, switching, or abandonment. This is especially useful in crowded categories where differentiation is tough, and customer needs are constantly evolving.

Traditional segmentation might tell you who your customers are, but JTBD reveals why they make decisions. That difference can be game-changing for aligning your innovation strategy with what actually drives purchasing decisions.

Real-World Benefits of JTBD for Product Innovation

• Improved product-market fit: Build solutions that truly address what customers are trying to achieve.
• Focused innovation: Target unmet needs that represent real opportunities, rather than guessing based on broad trends or vague feedback.
• More customer-centered design: Align product features with what delivers value—not what simply sounds exciting internally.
• Strategic clarity: Provide a clear framework for decision-making across cross-functional innovation teams.

An Example in Practice (Fictional)

Imagine a company designing a fitness app. Traditional research might segment users by age or gym habits. But through JTBD, the team learns that a key job people hire fitness apps for is not just to "get fit"—but to "regain energy to keep up with my kids." This insight might shift the product focus from hardcore workout plans to playful, 15-minute routines that work around parenting schedules. That level of relevance can dramatically increase engagement.

In short, using the JTBD framework grounds innovation teams in what matters most to real people. It transforms product development from a guessing game into a strategy rooted in purpose, empathy, and growth.

One of the most valuable ways innovation teams use Jobs To Be Done is to surface unmet customer needs—the hidden challenges or gaps people face when trying to complete a specific job. These are often the moments where existing solutions fall short, where a product frustrates instead of helps, or where customers are forced to hack together workarounds. In short: they’re opportunities just waiting to be addressed.

By focusing on the job instead of the product, JTBD uncovers needs that might not emerge through traditional surveys or focus groups. It shifts the conversation from "What do you like about this product?" to "What were you trying to achieve when you used it?" That simple change opens up an entirely new layer of insight.

Using JTBD to Find Opportunity Gaps

To find unmet needs using the JTBD framework, product teams typically start by mapping the entire customer journey surrounding a key job. This involves understanding:

• Context: When and where does the job arise?
• Struggles: What obstacles, pain points, or inefficiencies do customers face when trying to complete the job?
• Alternatives: What current solutions do customers use, and how well do they work?
• Desired outcomes: What does success look like for the customer?

For example, imagine a (fictional) food delivery company conducting JTBD interviews. Instead of just asking about app usage, they explore the deeper job: "I want to get a satisfying meal without disrupting my busy workday." By listening closely, the team learns that customers often feel guilty about ordering fast food or overwhelmed choosing among too many options. These unmet emotional and functional needs suggest new opportunities—like curated meal bundles or healthy, pre-set menus for busy professionals.

Turning Insights Into Innovation

Once unmet needs are identified, product teams can prioritize them based on factors like:

• Severity: How frustrating is the unmet need today?
• Frequency: How often does the job occur?
• Market potential: How many customers share this need?

This priority framework ensures investment goes toward the highest-impact opportunities. Used in collaboration with other market research methods, JTBD offers a clear, structured way to turn customer insight into action.

JTBD and Business Growth

Companies that systematically uncover these gaps are better equipped to innovate—not just by adding features, but by offering solutions that simplify life, delight users, and differentiate from the competition. In other words, understanding customer needs with JTBD isn't just about empathy—it's about growth.

At SIVO, we believe tools like JTBD help innovation teams unlock their most powerful asset: deep, human understanding of what people are trying to achieve. When you know the job, you can design the solution that truly gets it done.

Innovation teams are constantly seeking methods to create products that people truly want – and the Jobs To Be Done framework offers a structured way to do just that. Applying the JTBD framework in product development helps teams shift their focus from demographic data or market segments to actual customer goals, pain points, and decision-making processes.

Mapping Customer Jobs to Product Functions

At the core of JTBD is understanding what “job” a customer is hiring your product to do. Innovation teams begin by identifying the main job, along with related functional, emotional, and social tasks. These jobs then inform feature prioritization and product design.

For example, instead of designing a fitness tracker based solely on competitor specs, a team might discover through research that users are really trying to “stay accountable to long-term health goals.” That insight drives design decisions that go beyond tracking – such as goal reminders, progress sharing, or expert guidance features.

Informing Prototyping and Iteration

Once jobs are identified, JTBD can guide idea generation and ups the value of prototyping. Rather than brainstorming solutions in isolation, teams can ask, “How might this prototype help the user complete their job more effectively?” This keeps the process focused on solving real problems, not just introducing flashy features.

Creating Tight Product-Market Alignment

One of JTBD’s biggest strengths in product development is helping teams discover overlooked opportunities. By focusing on underserved jobs or outcomes, innovation teams can spot whitespace – areas where no current solution satisfies customers’ needs. This leads to unique solutions that stand out in crowded categories.

Key Use Cases of JTBD in Product Innovation:

• Identifying unmet needs for roadmap prioritization
• Crafting product messaging that reflects real user goals
• Evaluating existing product features based on job relevance
• Reducing feature bloat by eliminating non-essential functions

Embracing the JTBD framework for product development leads to higher customer relevance, more meaningful innovations, and a faster path to product-market fit. As teams grow comfortable with this mindset, it can transform not only what they build – but why they build it.

When used to shape an organization’s broader innovation strategy, the Jobs To Be Done framework delivers lasting competitive advantages. It provides a common language for understanding customer behavior at a deeper level and guides long-term planning rooted in real-world needs, not just internal assumptions or industry trends.

Customer-Centric Decision-Making

JTBD reframes innovation efforts around what customers are truly trying to achieve. This leads to strategies centered on delivering value, not just pushing features. Teams can confidently move forward with ideas that matter most to their target audience.

Sharper Opportunity Identification

Instead of waiting for reactive product fixes or loosely defined opportunities, JTBD reveals precise areas of friction in the customer’s journey. This proactive insight allows businesses to:

• Identify underserved jobs or unsatisfied outcomes
• Prioritize ideas with measurable demand
• Spot leapfrog innovation opportunities

For instance, a fictional meal kit brand uncovered that busy parents weren’t just seeking fast meals – they were “trying to feel like better parents at dinnertime.” Suddenly, the strategic path widened to include emotional reassurances, child-friendly packaging, and co-cooking features.

Consistency Across Teams

Applying a JTBD lens creates alignment across departments. Marketing, design, product, and sales all gain a shared vision of who the customer is and what “job” the product solves. This harmonization boosts execution and reduces internal friction.

Stronger Long-Term Growth

By routinely applying JTBD to new initiatives, innovation teams avoid short-term wins that fizzle out. The approach grounds business growth in lasting human needs, ensuring solutions remain relevant even as markets shift or technology evolves. In other words, JTBD focuses less on what customers say they want – and more on what they will always need to do.

The JTBD framework is not just a tool for product design – it’s a strategic foundation for sustainable advantage. Used regularly, it fosters customer loyalty, increases innovation ROI, and helps companies evolve without losing sight of who they serve.

Applying the JTBD framework effectively often starts with asking the right questions – and this is where experienced market research partners play a critical role. Firms like SIVO support innovation teams by gathering the deep, nuanced consumer insights that make JTBD projects actionable, reliable, and scalable.

Translating Theory Into Action

While JTBD is a powerful concept, its success relies on real-world understanding of customer behavior. At SIVO, we help convert JTBD theory into data-driven insights that drive clear decisions. Our researchers identify not only the main “jobs” customers are trying to complete but also the barriers, workarounds, and triggers along the way.

Methods Tailored to Innovation Needs

Because every business problem is unique, we don’t apply a one-size-fits-all method. Our full-service custom research supports JTBD discovery and validation across stages, including:

• Qualitative deep dives to uncover emotional and functional jobs
• Quantitative validation to size demand and prioritize opportunity areas
• Segmentation studies to link different “jobs” to audience types
• Co-creation sessions to generate and test early-stage ideas

Using these tools, we map where current offerings fall short, highlight areas for differentiation, and provide concrete direction for product and innovation teams.

Human Insight Paired With AI Speed

Modern research often involves AI tools – and we believe they’re most effective when paired with human understanding. Our teams bring thoughtful interpretation, empathy, and real-world context to the data, ensuring findings truly reflect what matters to people.

Flexible Support Models

SIVO’s Customer Insights solutions can plug in at any stage of your innovation process – or support an end-to-end journey. Whether you need a single JTBD discovery study or ongoing insights through fractional On Demand Talent, we tailor our support model to your goals and internal resources.

Effective use of the Jobs To Be Done framework begins with listening carefully to the people you hope to serve. That’s where we come in – turning those insights into clarity that fuels smarter, more impactful product innovation.