The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is a way to understand why people choose – or don’t choose – certain products and services. Rather than focusing only on demographics or surface-level preferences, JTBD dives deeper into customer motivations. It helps businesses understand the specific task, goal, or outcome the customer is trying to achieve when they 'hire' a product to help get the job done.

Understanding the 'Job'

Let’s take a simple example. When someone buys a drill, they aren’t really looking for a drill – they’re looking for a hole in the wall. That hole lets them hang a picture or install a shelf. In JTBD thinking, the “job” here isn’t buying a tool – it’s solving the need to display or store something. With that mindset, a company could innovate new products that help people hang items without drilling at all.

This shift in perspective is what makes JTBD so powerful. It reframes product development from making 'better drills' to fulfilling the true purpose the customer is working toward. And it opens the door to new solutions, some of which might not even exist in your current category.

Why JTBD Is Valuable for Business

Traditional market research often concentrates on what people say they like – JTBD research, by contrast, is built around what people are trying to achieve. It offers a clearer lens into customer behavior, especially in complex or competitive markets where preferences alone don’t paint the full picture.

• It clarifies true customer needs. JTBD helps cut through guesswork and hearsay, providing measurable insight into why customers behave the way they do.
• It supports smarter product development. With the right JTBD insights, teams can prioritize features and solutions that align with genuine customer intent – not just trends.
• It uncovers opportunities for innovation. Looking at the job rather than the category opens up white space for new offerings that better satisfy the task at hand.

The JTBD approach is especially helpful when entering a new market, launching a product, or trying to rejuvenate slow growth. Instead of targeting a vaguely-defined segment, you’re designing for a meaningful goal that your audience genuinely cares about. That makes your product more relevant – and more likely to succeed.

At SIVO Insights, our job is to help organizations move beyond surface-level assumptions and get closer to what people really need. JTBD is one way we do that. It’s a framework that brings new clarity to research, bridges the gap between user research and product design, and ultimately leads to more confident, customer-focused decisions.

Product-market fit is the sweet spot where what you're offering matches what customers are actively looking for. It’s when your solution solves a real and pressing need, leading to adoption, loyalty, and growth. The JTBD framework is a highly effective tool for finding and validating this fit – because it helps you connect the dots between product features and human goals.

Understanding Product-Market Fit Through the JTBD Lens

Instead of asking, “What do customers think of our product?”, JTBD shifts the question to: “What job are they trying to do, and how well does our product fulfill that job?” This subtle shift has major implications. You’re no longer guessing what to build – you’re aligning your solution with a clearly defined task customers already need solved.

For example, imagine a fictional company developing a new budgeting app for freelancers. Through JTBD research, they uncover that users don’t just want to track expenses – their deeper job is to feel financially secure during unpredictable months. This insight redirects the team’s focus from adding more graphs to implementing cash flow planning tools – leading to better product-market alignment.

Steps to Apply JTBD in Product-Market Fit Efforts

To use the JTBD framework effectively, consider these key steps:

1. Identify the jobs your customers are trying to get done

Conduct interviews, surveys, or observational research to uncover the functional and emotional goals your audience pursues. Look beyond product usage – ask what they’re trying to accomplish in their daily lives.

2. Segment by job, not demographics

Instead of grouping by age or income, group customers by the job they need done. This leads to more actionable segments and reduces the risk of building for a fictional 'average user.’

3. Evaluate how your product or service supports the job

Ask: Does what you’re offering help achieve the job completely, accurately, and with less friction than other options? If not, identify the gaps and consider how you could close them.

4. Prioritize development efforts based on unmet needs

JTBD research illuminates which parts of the job are underserved. These areas represent your best opportunities to add value, win loyalty, and stand out in a crowded market.

Why JTBD Adds Clarity at Every Stage

Whether you’re testing a prototype, updating an existing product, or exploring new markets, JTBD insights help ensure you’re solving the right problem. By rooting decisions in actual customer needs – not assumptions – you build confidence across your product team and align your strategy with real-world behavior.

At SIVO Insights, we often find that applying JTBD early in the product development process saves time and money later on. By validating product-market fit through consumer insight work that uncovers the true job-to-be-done, teams can reduce rework, avoid missteps, and build solutions that drive business growth and innovation.

Ultimately, JTBD is more than a research method – it’s a mindset. It encourages teams to design from the outside in, starting not with what the company wants to build, but with what the customer actually needs. And in today’s market? That’s not just helpful – it’s essential.

Understanding the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework becomes much easier when you see how it's applied in real-world scenarios. Let’s explore a few fictional – but highly relatable – examples to illustrate how identifying the right customer job can shape product development and drive product-market fit.

Example 1: A Meal Delivery Service for Busy Families

A food startup assumed their customers chose their subscription meal kits for convenience. But once they conducted JTBD-style user research, they uncovered a different story. Parents weren’t just buying convenience – they were hiring the service to bring their family together at dinner without the hassle of planning or arguing over meals.

With this insight, the startup adjusted their marketing message and added options for family-friendly recipes and inclusive prep activities for kids, resulting in higher retention and word-of-mouth growth. Understanding this deeper customer job transformed both product design and messaging.

Example 2: A Budget Travel App for Young Professionals

A travel app initially focused on helping users find the cheapest flights. But when they explored the JTBD perspective, they realized their audience wasn’t just booking flights – they were trying to escape daily stress and feel more adventurous. This led the company to redesign their app to feature curated experiences, offer spontaneous trip suggestions, and highlight flexible booking options that supported the “spur-of-the-moment” mindset.

By aligning their solution with what their users truly wanted, the company achieved stronger product engagement and a more clearly defined market position.

Takeaway

These examples show that the Jobs to Be Done framework doesn’t just help businesses identify what features to build – it helps clarify why customers choose a solution in the first place. Here’s how JTBD helps connect with users more effectively:

• Uncovers emotional and functional motivations
• Reveals customer behavior in real-life contexts
• Inspires meaningful product differentiation
• Leads to messaging that resonates with real needs

When teams adopt JTBD thinking, they build with purpose, not just assumptions. As shown above, applying JTBD to product strategy reveals opportunities that might otherwise stay hidden, leading to more confident decisions and stronger product-market fit.

If you're wondering how to use Jobs to Be Done for product-market fit, it's easier than you might think – especially when partnered with thoughtful market research. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started with JTBD research, tailored to your business goals.

1. Define Your Business Challenge

Begin by identifying a clear objective. Are you launching a new product? Repositioning an existing solution? Trying to better understand a drop in engagement? Clarifying your goal helps define the scope of your JTBD effort and ensures insights are actionable.

2. Choose the Right People to Talk To

JTBD research doesn’t require surveying hundreds of users. Instead, it involves deep conversations with a small, diverse set of customers – or potential customers – who recently made a relevant decision. Look for people who have recently switched to or from your product category. Their decision-making journey holds valuable clues.

3. Conduct JTBD Interviews

These structured interviews dig into the choices people made, before and after a purchase. Using open-ended questions, researchers guide participants through their real-world context: the push and pull factors, anxieties, and motivations they experienced. What “job” were they really trying to get done?

4. Analyze and Synthesize Insights

Once you’ve conducted your interviews, it’s time to identify patterns. What are the recurring jobs? What functional and emotional needs are attached to them? This synthesis work transforms raw stories into actionable customer insights that align with your product development strategy.

5. Apply the Insights to Product Development

Now the magic happens. Use what you’ve learned to:

• Prioritize features based on what jobs are most important
• Tailor messaging to match core customer motivations
• Spot new growth opportunities or markets to serve
• Test and iterate new ideas more effectively

Many businesses choose to work with experienced market research partners, like SIVO Insights, to lead this process. A JTBD research project benefits from expert moderation, thoughtful analysis, and the ability to turn complex stories into simple, strategic direction. It’s not just user research – it’s a lens for innovation.

Innovation can sometimes feel like a gamble – especially when teams build what they think users want. The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework adds clarity by grounding innovation in real-world behaviors and unmet needs. This leads to smarter, more customer-centered decisions across your business.

From Assumptions to Evidence

Traditional brainstorming sessions often rely on intuition or personal experience. But JTBD flips that thinking. Instead of asking, “What should we build next?” it asks, “What job is the customer trying to do, and how can we help them do it better?” This shift fosters evidence-based innovation.

A Shared Language Across Teams

JTBD research helps cross-functional teams – from design to marketing – speak the same language. When everyone understands the customer’s goal, their pain points, and desired outcomes, strategies become more aligned and faster to execute. This unified perspective strengthens your ability to achieve product-market fit.

Identifying Overlooked Opportunities

One of the most powerful benefits of JTBD is its ability to uncover adjacent jobs – needs or use cases your current product doesn’t yet address. These insights can reveal:

• New segments to serve
• Features to add that increase customer loyalty
• Pain points in adjacent categories ripe for disruption

This creates a springboard for business innovation grounded in actual behavior, not abstract ideas.

Customer-Centered Decision Making

At its core, JTBD isn’t just about building better products – it’s about being a better listener. It gives voice to customer behaviors that might otherwise be misunderstood or overlooked. From product development to brand messaging, JTBD reminds you that every decision should reflect how real people live, work, and choose.

Paired with high-quality consumer insights from comprehensive market research, JTBD offers teams clarity and confidence. You’re no longer building in the dark – you’re innovating with intention. Aligning your solutions with the actual jobs people want to get done leads to sustainable growth and more meaningful customer relationships over time.