At its core, Jobs To Be Done theory is a way of understanding the real reasons why people buy products or use services. Instead of focusing only on demographics or personal preferences, JTBD asks a simple question: What 'job' is the customer trying to get done?

In JTBD terms, a "job" refers to a specific task or goal someone is trying to accomplish in a given situation. The idea is that people 'hire' products or services to do these jobs for them. When the product helps them succeed, they keep using it. If it fails, they 'fire' it and look elsewhere.

For example, someone buying a smoothie on their morning commute might not just be buying a drink. They might be trying to solve the job of eating something fast, convenient, and filling on the way to work. Understanding that context changes how a business thinks about positioning, product design, and customer communication.

How the JTBD Approach Differs From Traditional Research

Traditional market research often categorizes customers by age, income, or interests. While helpful in some cases, these categories don’t explain behavior in context. JTBD shifts the focus from "who" people are to "why" they make choices:

• Traditional view: Targeting customers aged 25–35 who like smoothies.
• JTBD view: Designing a product that customers can consume quickly during a busy commute.

The Two Types of Jobs in JTBD

1. Functional Jobs: These are practical objectives, such as transporting something or staying energized.
2. Emotional Jobs: These relate to how customers want to feel — confident, safe, relaxed, or successful.

A complete JTBD analysis often uncovers both types. Thinking holistically helps product teams craft more effective solutions that solve both the practical and emotional sides of the experience.

Key Terms in JTBD (Explained Simply)

• Job: What the customer wants to accomplish in a specific situation.
• Hire: When a customer chooses a product or service to get that job done.
• Fire: When the product no longer meets the need or is replaced by a better fit.

JTBD theory provides a new lens for market research – one that leads to deeper consumer insights by focusing on desired outcomes, not just behaviors. When you understand the job, you can build better pathways to support it – through messaging, design, or entirely new solutions.

Professionals across product development, innovation strategy, and marketing increasingly rely on JTBD to reframe their understanding of the customer journey and turn insight into invention.

Understanding your customers' Jobs To Be Done isn’t just an academic exercise – it’s a practical method for achieving business growth. When used in market research, JTBD helps companies make more informed decisions by exposing the real motivations and pain points behind customer choices. These insights lead directly to smarter innovation strategies, better product development, and more effective marketing messages.

One of the biggest barriers to innovation is not fully understanding what customers are trying to accomplish in their lives. Without that context, businesses risk building solutions no one really needs. JTBD fills that gap by shifting attention to why choices are made, revealing unmet needs and inspiring ideas that truly solve problems.

Key Benefits of Using JTBD in Market Research

• Uncovers hidden opportunities: Traditional methods might miss emerging customer needs, but JTBD zooms in on what’s not working today – and where meaningful improvements can happen.
• Strengthens innovation strategy: JTBD helps teams design products and services that align directly with real-life use cases and goals.
• Shapes effective messaging: When companies know the 'job,' they can speak clearly to the value their product provides. It’s no longer about listing features – it’s about solving a problem.
• Guides product development: Instead of adding new features just to differentiate, JTBD helps identify what actually matters to the customer experience.

Real-World JTBD Example

Consider a company designing meal kits. Without JTBD, their focus might be on who buys – busy professionals, families, or health-conscious eaters. But using the JTBD lens, they discover many customers are "hiring" the meal kit to solve the job of creating a family dinner that feels homemade without spending an hour in the kitchen. That specific job includes emotional value (feeling like a good parent) and functional value (saving time).

This insight can lead to product tweaks (shorter prep times), better marketing ("get a homemade dinner on the table in 20 minutes") and even entirely new offerings (like kid-friendly cooking kits).

JTBD Supports Better Decision-Making

For business leaders, JTBD offers a clear compass for strategic decisions. Whether developing a new product, refining an existing one, or entering a new market, understanding the core jobs customers are trying to complete provides direction backed by human-centered insight.

Teams often find that JTBD helps bridge internal silos – aligning product, marketing, and customer experience teams around a unified goal: serving the customer’s real needs. It transforms consumer insights from vague ideas into grounded, actionable strategies.

At SIVO Insights, we’ve seen how embedding the JTBD approach into custom market research yields deeper clarity, helping companies across industries innovate with purpose and grow with confidence.

One of the most valuable aspects of the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) theory is its ability to uncover true customer needs – the kind that don't always show up in traditional market research. Rather than focusing solely on demographics or surface-level preferences, JTBD digs deeper into why people make certain choices, helping you understand the underlying causes of customer behavior.

Moving From What People Buy to Why They Buy

Customers don't buy products or services just for their features. They 'hire' them to solve specific problems or make progress in their lives. These progress points might include saving time, reducing frustration, improving health, or feeling in control. JTBD helps uncover these deeper motivations – giving you a clearer view of what really matters to your audience.

For example, someone buying a high-end blender isn't just purchasing a kitchen appliance. They may be trying to live a healthier lifestyle, prepare meals more efficiently, or gain a sense of accomplishment around wellness. Identifying this job, not just the product, allows businesses to create better offerings that address the real need.

Understanding Functional, Emotional, and Social Needs

JTBD research reveals three dimensions of customer needs:

• Functional Needs: The practical tasks customers want to accomplish – like commuting to work or preparing dinner faster.
• Emotional Needs: How customers want to feel – such as secure, healthy, or successful.
• Social Needs: The social identity they want to reinforce – like being seen as eco-conscious or tech-savvy.

By identifying these layers, your product development or marketing strategy becomes much more targeted and impactful. You'll avoid building features your audience doesn’t actually need, and instead solve the problems they truly care about.

Why This Matters for Innovation Strategy

Understanding customer jobs unlocks insights that go beyond what standard surveys or focus groups might capture. Instead of asking “What do you want?” – which can lead to vague or generic answers – JTBD asks, “What are you trying to get done?” That small shift opens up rich context, especially when entering new markets or launching new products.

In short, the JTBD method is a powerful way to identify unmet needs, eliminate guesswork, and offer value where it matters most – a key driver for business growth and smarter decision-making.

Seeing how JTBD is applied in real-world situations can make the theory much easier to grasp – especially if you're new to market research or product strategy. Here's how leading brands have successfully used jobs to be done thinking to uncover consumer insights and fuel innovation.

Example 1: Quick-Service Restaurant Identifies the Morning “Job”

A fast-food chain wanted to increase sales of its breakfast milkshake product. Initial assumptions believed it was a treat or sweet snack. However, after conducting JTBD-based research, the team discovered a new insight: many customers were buying it as a quick, satisfying meal during their morning commute.

They were actually hiring the milkshake to do a job – keep them full and occupied while driving to work. This unexpected finding led to product tweaks and revamped positioning in advertising, boosting morning sales significantly.

Example 2: Financial App Discovers New Path to User Engagement

A fintech brand used the JTBD approach to understand why new users stopped using their app after just a few days. Instead of leading with features, researchers explored what people were trying to achieve by downloading the app in the first place.

The job wasn't just “manage my money” – it was “feel more in control of my financial life without feeling overwhelmed.” With those insights, the team simplified the app’s onboarding and added guided suggestions. Result? Increased retention and a stronger emotional connection with users.

Example 3: Consumer Goods Company Reinvents Product Based on JTBD

A household cleaning brand noticed a downward trend in sales for one of its products. Through a JTBD market research project, they found that consumers weren't abandoning cleaning – they were just “hiring” multi-use, time-saving solutions instead of single-use products.

With this insight, the company reformulated and rebranded the item as part of a convenient all-in-one cleaning system. Sales rebounded, thanks to targeting the real job: “Get cleaning done quickly and easily.”

JTBD in Practice Helps Avoid Misaligned Assumptions

These examples demonstrate an important point: traditional market research can sometimes miss the mark if it only scratches the surface. JTBD pushes teams to ask better questions, uncover the root “job,” and reframe customer behavior in ways that align more closely with real-world decision-making.

Whether applied to product development, messaging, or customer experience, the JTBD approach helps uncover hidden opportunities that can create meaningful market differentiation.

Not every research challenge requires a jobs to be done framework – but when used in the right scenarios, it can be a powerful tool for uncovering deeper consumer insights and informing smarter strategies. So how do you know when JTBD is the right fit?

Use JTBD When You're Trying to Innovate

If you're launching a new product, entering a new market, or rethinking your value proposition, a JTBD method brings clarity to the messy middle. By understanding what progress customers want to make, you reduce guesswork and surface ideas that customers didn’t even know how to articulate yet.

This approach is especially valuable if you're aiming to disrupt an industry or bring something meaningfully different to market. JTBD helps innovation teams focus on outcomes rather than features.

Use JTBD When Customer Behavior Is Changing

Are you noticing shifts in how your audience engages with your brand? Or, are your traditional personas no longer telling the full story? JTBD helps uncover the underlying motivations behind changing behavior – essential for staying relevant in evolving markets.

For example, if customers are moving away from your product category, JTBD research might reveal that they're hiring entirely different solutions to meet their goals. That insight could redirect your product development or repositioning strategy.

Use JTBD To Complement Other Research Methods

Jobs theory doesn’t replace other consumer insights methods – rather, it enhances them. Whether you’re running surveys, in-depth interviews, or behavioral analytics, integrating a jobs lens adds depth to what you uncover. It's especially helpful during the early discovery and concept development phases of a project.

Signs That a JTBD Approach May Be Helpful

• You're not sure why customers are choosing a competitor
• Your product isn’t connecting emotionally with users
• You want to identify unmet or underserved needs
• Traditional segmentation feels too limiting
• You’re looking for more than feedback – you want direction

Ultimately, JTBD shines when your goal is to think forward. Whether you're solving current problems or identifying whitespace opportunities, this method helps align your business strategy with what truly drives customer decisions – a critical ingredient for sustainable business growth.