One of the biggest strengths of the Jobs to Be Done framework is its ability to uncover customer behaviors that don’t show up in surface-level research. JTBD focuses on the underlying motivation – or "job" – that a customer is trying to get done when they use a product or service. This customer-centric lens goes beyond basic demographics or satisfaction scores and digs into intent, context, and outcome.

Looking Beyond the Obvious

Consumers don’t always use a product the way it was intended. Maybe they improvise a solution because another tool didn’t work. Maybe they adapt a product for a completely different scenario. With JTBD, these behaviors aren’t outliers – they’re insights waiting to be explored.

For example, a sports drink might be designed for athletes but ends up being used by busy parents for quick on-the-go hydration. That isn’t just quirky user behavior – it’s a signal. A signal that tells us something about adjacent needs and alternative use cases that, once identified, could inspire marketing strategies or even entirely new product lines.

Deep Discovery Through Context

JTBD research asks questions like:

• What triggered the customer to look for a solution?
• What job were they trying to complete?
• What existing tools or methods didn’t work for them?
• What outcome were they hoping for?

By following the customer’s story – their purchasing or usage journey – JTBD helps identify patterns in consumer behavior that traditional surveys or focus groups often miss. These are especially helpful when trying to understand hidden customer needs or behaviors that don’t fit expected personas.

Real-World Value of JTBD in Market Research

In market research, applying a JTBD lens means looking beyond what people say and paying close attention to what they actually do. For instance, customers might claim they want more features, but JTBD interviews could reveal they’re trying to reduce decision fatigue – meaning simplicity and clarity are the real needs.

As a result, businesses can:

• Discover hidden factors influencing purchase behavior
• Identify unusual or edge-case product uses
• Tell stronger customer stories using contextual insights

When your goal is to design better products or enhance customer experience, these less-obvious behaviors become your most valuable source of innovation. JTBD acts as a flashlight, helping you see the customer’s world more clearly – especially the parts they might not even recognize themselves.

It’s easy to build products with the "average user" in mind – but that approach often misses opportunities to serve real-world needs. That’s where non-obvious, or "edge case," product use cases come into play. These are the uses that don’t show up in onboarding manuals or marketing campaigns, yet they can reveal powerful customer insights that improve design and functionality.

Designing for the Job, Not Just the Product

Understanding what customers are really trying to accomplish – the job at hand – can shift how teams design their products. Instead of focusing just on features or aesthetics, designers and strategists can tailor solutions to match how users actually behave, even in unexpected contexts.

For example, a blender may be marketed as a smoothie maker for the health-conscious. But through JTBD market research, the team learns that some customers use the blender to rapidly prepare baby food in small, consistent batches. That discovery could spark a product redesign with quieter motors, smaller containers, or even new brand messaging.

The Competitive Advantage of Seeing Hidden Needs

These non-obvious use cases often highlight:

• Unmet customer needs that other brands have overlooked
• Opportunities for differentiation through better product design
• Functional gaps that real users are working around

From a business standpoint, identifying and responding to these insights enables teams to improve the product without guessing. You meet users where they are – not where you think they should be. That capability improves user satisfaction and builds real competitive advantage because you’re solving problems others may not even see yet.

How JTBD Helps Prioritize Innovation

The beauty of JTBD is that it doesn’t prioritize just the loudest feedback – it elevates the most useful insights, even when they come from the margins. When product teams understand how to find unexpected product use cases, they’re better equipped to iterate in meaningful ways.

For product designers, marketers, and innovation leads, the JTBD framework helps connect the dots between simple observations and big strategic opportunities. When applied thoughtfully, it shifts teams from reactive updates to proactive evolution – designing for real jobs, not just assumptions.

In today’s crowded markets, meaningful differentiation often comes not from flashy features but from deeply felt utility. And that kind of utility, more often than not, is found outside the obvious.

The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework isn't just about asking “why” customers buy a product – it's about uncovering when, where and under what circumstances they choose it. These contextual details often uncover hidden product use cases and customer motivations that aren’t always visible through traditional market research.

In JTBD, context shapes behavior. The same product may be ‘hired’ for different reasons depending on the user's situation. By exploring these moments in depth, you gain valuable customer insights that go beyond demographic or psychographic data.

Why context matters in JTBD insights

Understanding context means recognizing the full environment in which a user makes a decision. This includes:

• Emotional state: Is the customer stressed, hurried, or relaxed during the purchase?
• Social setting: Are they alone or trying to impress others?
• Time pressure: Do they need a fast solution or have time to explore?
• Location: Are they at home, commuting, or traveling?

Each of these elements can reveal surprisingly different “jobs” a product is being hired for – even if the product itself stays the same.

From surface behavior to deeper motivations

Let’s say a customer buys a particular smoothie. At first glance, it’s just a morning beverage. But when SIVO leads a JTBD interview, it may emerge that on weekday mornings, the smoothie is hired as a quick breakfast substitute that won’t spill in the car. On weekends, that same smoothie may be a post-workout reward. The context reveals entirely different expectations and customer needs tied to the same product.

This level of nuance is critical in product design and customer experience strategy. It's how brands uncover hidden customer needs and even refine messaging or delivery models to meet those contextual differences.

When SIVO applies contextual analysis during our qualitative JTBD projects, we often identify multiple overlooked use cases that don't appear in surveys alone. These insights guide smarter innovation and bridge the gap between user behavior and business solutions.

Edge cases – the “unusual” or infrequent ways people use products – are often dismissed as outliers. But through the lens of Jobs to Be Done, these edge case usage scenarios can reveal powerful, non-obvious customer needs and untapped market potential.

Why? Because even small behavior patterns have meaning. JTBD treats these edge cases not as noise, but as clues into underlying motivations and hidden consumer behavior that mass data might miss.

Example 1: Kitchen appliances reimagined through JTBD

A kitchen appliance company partnered with a research team to study why customers bought a specific blender model. Most assumed it was about smoothies or meal prep. But when applying the JTBD framework, they found an interesting edge case: parents using the blender to mask vegetables in kids’ meals. This wasn’t the primary use case – but it opened the door to a product redesign that better supported concealment and meal sneakiness, delighting a niche but highly influential audience.

Example 2: Transportation and delayed satisfaction

Another study using JTBD techniques uncovered that some commuters were buying monthly bike rentals not for daily use, but to have access only when their bus didn't arrive on time. The product was being “hired” as a backup – not the main mode of transport. Recognizing this allowed the company to shift messaging and pricing models accordingly.

Example 3: Apparel and emotional reassurance

A fashion retailer conducted research and discovered that one rarely-purchased but highly praised clothing item was being ‘hired’ for high-stakes events – job interviews, weddings, first dates. Customers weren’t buying it for daily wear. Instead, the job was to feel confident at key moments. This emotional insight wasn’t obvious through purchase data alone, but JTBD exploration revealed a key product promise that informed future design decisions.

These JTBD market research examples show how edge cases often highlight unmet customer needs – ones not on the radar during traditional segmentation studies. By finding value in the fringes, businesses can design more empathetic solutions that offer real competitive advantage.

When used strategically, the Jobs to Be Done framework becomes a springboard for growth – helping brands uncover white space in the market and design better products and services based on real human needs. By focusing on why people use your product, not just who uses it, you unlock new pathways for innovation.

Where to Start: Applying JTBD in Your Research Strategy

Whether you’re just beginning your journey with JTBD or want to deepen your application, here are practical ways to uncover new market opportunities:

• Conduct in-depth customer interviews: Use open-ended conversations to explore the full journey – what led customers to search, choose, and use your solution.
• Map the customer’s job timeline: Break the experience into pre-, during-, and post-use stages to better understand expectations, pain points, and desired outcomes.
• Identify competing solutions: Ask what other options customers considered (including non-obvious ones). Often, your real competition isn’t another brand – it’s a workaround or behavior change.

Uncovering non-obvious opportunities

Let’s say a consumer “hires” a notebook app, not just to take notes, but to calm their mind during stress. Suddenly, your product plays a mental health support role – and that opens new avenues for product partnerships, positioning, or features.

JTBD helps identify these adjacent spaces by surfacing hidden emotional and functional jobs. It signals where your product might evolve or how your offering could work across categories.

Use JTBD to future-proof innovation

The most successful brands use JTBD insights to adapt quickly. For example, during shifting market conditions or when launching in a new demographic, understanding user behavior through JTBD creates clarity. It shows what needs remain stable – and where new behaviors signal opportunity. SIVO often pairs JTBD research with broader market analysis or organizational intelligence strategies to help clients prioritize what to build next.

Ultimately, JTBD equips businesses to combine data-driven thinking with real human empathy – a winning formula for discovering unmet customer needs and making smarter product decisions.