The Jobs To Be Done framework is a method for understanding consumer needs by identifying the "job" a customer is trying to complete when they choose a product or service. Rather than focusing only on demographics, product features, or surface-level preferences, JTBD dives deeper – into purpose, motivation, and context.

At its core, JTBD proposes that people don't just buy products – they hire them to do a job in their lives. That job could be functional (like organizing a busy schedule), emotional (like feeling more confident), or social (like appearing more professional to others). Once you understand the job, you can better design solutions that truly meet your customer’s expectations.

How JTBD Explains Consumer Behavior

Instead of asking, “Who is my customer?” JTBD asks, “What is my customer trying to accomplish?” This reframing leads to more insightful answers and practical innovation opportunities. It looks beyond preferences and explores context: When do customers look for solutions? What drives them to switch to or abandon a product?

Types of Jobs

• Functional Jobs: The practical tasks people want to accomplish (e.g., commute to work more efficiently)
• Emotional Jobs: The feelings or psychological needs they want to satisfy (e.g., feeling safe or confident)
• Social Jobs: How they want to be perceived by others (e.g., appear successful or responsible)

A Simple Example of JTBD

Imagine someone buys a smoothie. Are they purchasing a beverage – or are they hiring something that helps them feel full and healthy between meetings? In this case, the job to be done might be, “Help me eat something fast that still feels nutritious.”

Understanding that job opens possibilities for improving the offer – perhaps clearer labeling, protein add-ons, or better on-the-go packaging. JTBD puts customer insights front and center in how products are developed and marketed.

JTBD vs. Traditional Market Research

Traditional market research often focuses on who the customer is and what they say they like. JTBD adds a layer of depth by exploring why they act, giving businesses insight into decision-making triggers. It’s less about what’s been purchased and more about why, when, and what outcome the person is truly hiring a product to deliver.

At SIVO Insights, we use JTBD alongside other qualitative and quantitative methods to build a full picture of consumer behavior – one focused on real situations and real solutions.

Using the Jobs To Be Done framework in market research helps businesses go beyond surface-level observations and uncover the true reasons customers choose – or abandon – products. JTBD adds context, uncovering unmet needs and revealing more accurate motivations than traditional surveys or segmentation models alone.

What Makes JTBD Valuable

JTBD is especially powerful because it focuses on outcomes rather than just attributes. Instead of only asking what people want, it asks what they are trying to achieve. That shift helps teams uncover actionable consumer insights tied directly to use-cases and decision points.

• Clearer Product Fit: Find out how current products align with real customer needs.
• Better Innovation Data: Identify new features or offerings based on what people are trying to get done, not just what they say they like.
• Customer-Centered Strategy: Design and position products to serve clear customer goals, driving loyalty and satisfaction.

Applications of JTBD in Custom Research

At SIVO Insights, we apply JTBD within our custom market research efforts. Depending on your goals, we might include it in:

Product Development Research: Through JTBD conversations, we learn what jobs people are trying to accomplish and where current solutions fall short. This insight directly informs innovation – helping teams create products that do a better job of solving real problems.

Customer Journey Mapping: JTBD enriches journey mapping by offering specific moments when customers struggle and seek new solutions. This strengthens the design of experiences, services, and support systems.

User Research: For digital platforms and experiences, JTBD uncovers why users abandon tasks or switch tools. It's a major lift in understanding usability challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Real-World Business Examples

Consider transportation. A rideshare app might appear to only serve a commuting need. But dig deeper with JTBD, and you might find additional jobs: “Get me somewhere reliably when I don’t feel safe walking” or “Let me avoid parking stress downtown.” These insights lead to service enhancements that support customer loyalty.

Supporting Growth with Insight

JTBD is a lens through which we can view entire categories and customer types. It highlights not only what needs exist, but also which ones are underserved – a critical launching ground for product innovation and business growth. Paired with rich qualitative research and organizational intelligence, JTBD adds depth and direction to your strategy.

For organizations exploring customer insights for the first time – or seeking to take their understanding to a deeper level – JTBD is a valuable starting point. And when used by expert partners like SIVO, it can help you design more impactful, human-centered solutions that succeed in the real world.

Understanding how to uncover customer jobs is at the heart of the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework. While JTBD might sound like a complex concept, identifying customer jobs is a straightforward and practical process when broken down. It’s all about discovering what people are trying to accomplish in real-life situations – and what motivates their choices. Here’s a simple step-by-step approach that anyone new to market research can follow.

Step 1: Start with the Situation

Customer jobs are always linked to a specific context. First, identify where and when your customer is trying to make progress. Ask: What challenge are they trying to resolve? Are they at home, at work, on the go? Knowing the circumstances helps you define the job clearly and understand the stakes.

Step 2: Look for Desired Outcomes

Now move beyond functional tasks (like “buying a sandwich”) and explore emotional or social outcomes (such as “feeling healthy at lunch” or “avoiding judgment from coworkers”). This blend of practical and emotional drivers gives a richer picture of consumer behavior.

Step 3: Conduct Conversations and Observations

Talk to your customers – and truly listen. Use open-ended questions like “What were you hoping to achieve when you chose this?” or “What did you try before this solution?” In many user research projects, direct observation of a customer’s behavior also unveils jobs they may not even articulate but clearly demonstrate through their actions.

Step 4: Identify Friction Points

Pinpoint moments where customers feel frustrated, stuck, or unsatisfied. These pain points often signal that a job is being done poorly or not at all – a clear opportunity for product innovation.

Step 5: Group and Prioritize Jobs

Once you've collected a variety of jobs, look for patterns. Group similar jobs together, and prioritize based on significance, frequency, and the customer’s willingness to change their current behavior. This step is key when using JTBD to inform market research or new product development.

• Functional jobs: What task is the customer trying to complete?
• Emotional jobs: How does the customer want to feel?
• Social jobs: How does the customer want to be perceived by others?

By identifying real, specific jobs in this way, businesses can align their offerings with true customer needs – ultimately unlocking business growth.

To understand how the JTBD framework works in the real world, it helps to explore actual business use cases. These examples showcase how companies across industries apply the methodology to uncover meaningful consumer insights and drive better decision-making. They also help answer a common question: What are real examples of JTBD in business?

Example 1: Quick-Serve Coffee – The “Morning Routine” Job

A coffee chain noticed that many customers were choosing their shop over others not simply for coffee, but to feel “energized and efficient” during their morning routine. The job to be done was not just about caffeine – it was about starting the day smoothly. In response, the chain redesigned their mobile ordering process and restructured their store layout to speed up service. This data-driven change increased customer satisfaction and drove repeat traffic.

Example 2: Streaming Platform – The “Unwind with the Family” Job

A media company found that families primarily used their streaming service in the evenings to “connect and relax together.” Recognizing this core job, they introduced family-friendly features like customizable profiles, quick parental controls, and curated playlists. This JTBD-led change boosted user retention in a highly competitive space.

Example 3: Banking Services – The “Feel in Control of My Finances” Job

Instead of focusing solely on transactions, a bank applied JTBD thinking to explore how customers actually relate to money. One common emotional job was to “feel in control of my financial future.” Acting on this, the bank introduced budget tracking tools and personalized advice within its app, meeting deeper customer needs and strengthening loyalty.

What These Examples Show

Across each scenario, the JTBD framework helped uncover motivation beneath the surface. Rather than assuming people choose a product for the product’s sake, these companies dug deeper to identify the 'why' behind decisions – revealing opportunities for product innovation, stronger brand connection, and meaningful business results.

Whether you're offering software, services, or something in-between, using Jobs To Be Done in market research adds a layer of context that goes beyond traditional demographics or usage data. It helps you see customers as people making progress, not just “users” of a product.

At SIVO Insights, we believe that powerful decision-making starts with a deep understanding of people – their motivations, needs, and day-to-day realities. The Jobs To Be Done framework is just one of many valuable tools we integrate into our custom market research solutions to help our clients translate human behavior into actionable strategies.

A Human-Centered View Within a Full-Service Approach

Traditional research often focuses on what customers are doing, but JTBD uncovers why they’re doing it. That’s a key difference between JTBD and traditional market research: JTBD digs beneath surface-level choices to reveal motivations. At SIVO, we tailor this framework into broader qualitative and quantitative studies to give you the complete picture.

Where JTBD Adds Value

We use JTBD to:

 
• Clarify customer needs for product, service, or brand development
 
• Identify whitespace opportunities for product innovation and differentiation
 
• Segment your audience based on unmet jobs, not just demographics

Our research experts blend JTBD thinking with in-depth interviews, ethnographic observation, survey design, and data analysis to uncover meaningful consumer insights. Whether you're launching a new product or repositioning a brand, JTBD helps ensure you're designing something people truly need – not just something they might want.

JTBD as Part of a Comprehensive Consumer Insights Program

We don’t see JTBD as a standalone tool. At SIVO, it becomes more powerful when integrated into a holistic research process that blends behavioral science, customer experience analysis, and competitive context. This way, findings are not only insightful – they’re actionable across departments.

Importantly, our team tailors every study to match your business goals. Whether you’re focused on immediate tactical feedback or long-term strategic direction, SIVO builds JTBD principles into the research design, ensuring relevance and clarity throughout your decision-making journey.

For our clients, JTBD often becomes a springboard for new ideas – one that ties the voice of the customer directly into strategies for business growth.