The Jobs To Be Done framework – often shortened to JTBD – is a method used in market research and product innovation to better understand customer needs. Rather than seeing people only as 'users' of a product, JTBD considers them as individuals attempting to complete a specific 'job' or solve a problem within their daily life or work environment.

In this context, a 'job' is not about employment. It’s about the outcome someone wants to achieve, and the progress they’re trying to make in a given situation. Customers 'hire' products or services to help get that job done. If the product does the job well, they keep using it. If not, they fire it and look for something better.

Think of it like this: someone doesn’t buy a cordless drill because they want a tool – they buy it because they need a hole in the wall. The real goal (the job) is hanging a picture, not owning a drill. The JTBD concept shifts our focus from features and functions to purpose and result.

How does JTBD work in practice?

JTBD is especially valuable in consumer insights research because it centers on motivation – why people act, not just what they do. To apply the framework, researchers and teams:

• Explore the context in which a purchase or decision occurs
• Identify the emotional, social, and functional drivers behind the action
• Differentiate between different 'jobs' that a single product might be used for

This approach helps uncover insights you might miss with traditional methods focused only on preferences or usage patterns. A product may serve multiple 'jobs' depending on the customer’s situation or mindset – understanding these variations is a key strength of JTBD.

A simple example

Imagine you own a coffee shop. You might think customers are buying coffee because they like the taste. But a JTBD analysis might reveal they’re really hiring your shop to do different jobs: a freelancer needs a quiet place to work, a commuter wants a fast caffeine fix, and a couple wants a cozy environment to spend time together. Each represents a distinct job with different needs and expectations.

JTBD helps you uncover and understand these jobs so you can design experiences that truly match what people are trying to achieve. That’s why it’s emerging as a must-know tool in customer research, product development, and innovation strategy.

Whether you’re launching a new product, refreshing your brand, or trying to understand your audience more deeply, JTBD gives you a practical lens to examine customer motivation and behavior.

Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is more than just a research tool – it’s a strategic advantage. By uncovering the real reasons people choose or abandon products, JTBD gives businesses a way to build smarter, more relevant solutions. This insight-driven approach doesn't just fine-tune what you already offer. It can unlock entirely new opportunities for business growth and competitive differentiation.

JTBD connects solutions to real customer problems

Traditional metrics like demographics or purchase history tell part of the story, but they often miss the deeper 'why' behind customer behavior. JTBD fills that gap by identifying the progress people are looking to make – what outcome they want from your product or service. This shift is crucial for innovation teams and business leaders who want to create meaningful, market-ready solutions.

When you understand the job a customer is hiring your product to do, you can:

• Pinpoint unmet needs more accurately
• Design better product experiences
• Craft messaging that resonates on a deeper level
• Find growth opportunities in overlooked audiences or use cases

For example, using JTBD in customer research might reveal that customers buy your app not for its main advertised feature, but for the convenience it brings to their busy schedule. That's a valuable insight that could inform how you position it in future marketing campaigns.

JTBD drives alignment across your business

Another key benefit of JTBD is that it bridges gaps between departments. Product development, marketing, and customer experience teams can align around a common understanding of the customer's job to be done. When everyone is working toward supporting that goal, strategies become more focused and effective.

Real-world application: A reference example

Take a fictional juice company, for example. Their initial assumption was that customers bought their product solely for taste. But after conducting JTBD-based market research with a partner like SIVO Insights, the brand discovered that a large group of buyers was hiring the juice to feel in control of their health routines. The company shifted its messaging to align with this emotional motivation and developed new product lines focused on wellness, boosting both reach and revenue.

This highlights how JTBD can transform not just your offering, but how you think about your audience. By tapping into core motivations and contexts, your business can build not for what customers say they want – but for what they truly need.

In a competitive market, understanding consumer insights at this level gives you an edge. That’s why JTBD matters for modern businesses aiming to fuel growth, especially when used alongside broader market research and organizational intelligence strategies like those offered at SIVO Insights.

The best way to understand the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is to see it in action. By examining real-world examples, we can see how businesses use JTBD thinking to identify customer needs, improve products, and strengthen their marketing strategies. These customer “jobs” often go beyond the product itself – they reveal the underlying motivation driving a consumer’s decision.

Example 1: Hiring a Milkshake for the Morning Commute

One well-known (and fictionalized) JTBD example comes from a fast-food chain trying to increase milkshake sales. Traditional approaches grouped customers by demographics or time of day. But using JTBD research, the company discovered something more nuanced: commuters were “hiring” milkshakes in the morning to make their drive more enjoyable and to hold them over until lunch.

They weren’t choosing the milkshake because it was sweet – they needed something thick enough to last the whole commute, clean to eat while driving, and satisfying. Understanding that JTBD revealed a new product development and marketing path, one focused not on flavor but on convenience and endurance.

Example 2: Choosing Online Workout Classes

Consider a consumer who signs up for online yoga classes. The surface-level need may seem to be fitness. But digging into the real job reveals something deeper: the consumer wants to reduce anxiety after work, build a consistent habit, and avoid the intimidation of a gym – all from the comfort of their home.

This kind of JTBD insight helps businesses tailor their product messaging, create better onboarding experiences, and offer features like progress tracking to meet real emotional and functional needs.

Example 3: Using a Food Delivery App

Think about a parent ordering food through a delivery app on a Friday night. Technically, the job is to “get dinner delivered.” But looking through a JTBD lens, the real job might be: “enjoy family time without stress after a long week.” This opens the door for innovation – maybe the app offers pre-set family meals, kid-friendly filters, or packages that include desserts and games.

As these examples show, JTBD helps companies design products and services that solve meaningful problems, not just deliver features. By focusing on the moment and motivation behind a customer’s choice, brands can better align solutions with customer expectations – improving outcomes across product development, consumer insights, and business growth strategy.

At the heart of the Jobs To Be Done framework is this question: What is your customer really trying to get done? Not just what they purchased – but the outcome they’re hoping to achieve.

Finding the answer requires going beyond surface-level data. With careful observation, market research, and customer conversations, you can uncover the underlying needs that drive purchasing behavior. Here’s how to start identifying Jobs To Be Done in your own business insights process.

Listen for goals, not just feedback

When customers talk about your product, listen for what they want to achieve rather than individual likes or dislikes. For example, someone using a budgeting app may say they enjoy the clean design – but the job could be “feel more confident paying bills” or “avoid end-of-month surprises.”

Interviews, in-context observations, and qualitative studies can help capture these insights. In particular, asking customers to walk you through their decision process often reveals their “hired” job in their own words.

Look for triggers and switching moments

Key customer “jobs” often appear when people switch from one solution to another. Why did someone leave a competitor? What led them to search for a new tool? These moments of change surface unmet needs and real pain points – valuable insights for product development and innovation strategy.

Mapping the customer journey, especially the triggers before and after a decision, shows you where and why JTBD emerge.

Get cross-functional input

JTBD customer research benefits from a wide lens. Talk to frontline employees, sales teams, and customer service reps – they frequently hear about struggles, expectations, and outcomes in real-world use. This information can expose patterns that point to common jobs across different audiences.

Ask JTBD-driven questions

• “What was going on in your life when you started looking for this?”
• “What made you decide this was the right solution?”
• “What problem did this solve for you – and how do you use it today?”

These questions shift focus from product features to customer motivations – which is where true Jobs To Be Done live.

By combining JTBD thinking with thorough market research, you can gain practical consumer insights. This helps teams unlock actionable strategies tailored to real human behavior – the core of what SIVO Insights delivers through our qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Once you’ve grasped the basics of the Jobs To Be Done framework, the next step is applying it effectively. Whether you’re part of a marketing team, an innovation lead, or a product developer, JTBD can guide strategic decisions if woven into the right phases of your business process – especially in market research.

1. Use Jobs To Be Done to segment by motivation, not demographics

Traditional market research often groups customers by age, location, or income. JTBD offers an alternative: segmenting by what people are trying to accomplish. Two customers from different backgrounds might “hire” the same product for entirely different reasons. This perspective reveals new growth opportunities and more targeted messaging.

For example, a lightweight stroller might be used by a city parent trying to navigate busy sidewalks (“job”: move quickly and compactly), and by a grandparent putting it in a small trunk (“job”: lift easily and store fast). Marketing to each job, not just the customer, results in clearer alignment and higher conversion.

2. Pair quantitative and qualitative research

JTBD isn’t about guessing motivations – it’s about studying them. Start with qualitative research methods like in-depth interviews or ethnography to explore how and why customers make choices. Then, validate and quantify your findings through surveys or segmentation studies.

At SIVO Insights, we often combine research methods to ensure our clients’ JTBD findings are both rich and scalable – providing a complete picture that shapes ongoing customer understanding and innovation strategy.

3. Keep the job front and center in innovation planning

When designing new products, features, or experiences, tie every idea back to a specific job. This prevents teams from building things that are technically sound but don’t meet a real-world need. Ask: “What job are we solving?” before moving forward.

4. Go beyond functional jobs

Many Jobs To Be Done are emotional or social, not just functional. Does the customer want to feel more secure? Appear knowledgeable? Belong to a group? These deeper motivations offer powerful innovation insights. Capturing them takes nuanced consumer research – something human-led insights teams like SIVO’s specialize in, especially when AI alone can’t detect emotional undercurrents.

5. Build JTBD into decision-making frameworks

For JTBD to drive business growth, it has to influence real decisions. Use JTBD insights in your product roadmap, brand messaging, and customer journey optimization. The more these insights appear in daily conversations and strategic planning, the more impact they’ll have over time.

Using JTBD for market research and innovation doesn’t replace existing methods – it enhances them. It helps companies connect data with human motivation, turning findings into forward-thinking business strategies.