At its core, the Jobs To Be Done framework is about understanding what people are really trying to accomplish when they choose a product or service. Instead of focusing solely on features, user profiles, or competitor comparisons, JTBD shifts the lens to what outcome the customer is hoping for – the 'job' they are hiring your product to do.

Think of it this way: when someone buys a cordless drill, they don’t necessarily “want” the drill – they want a hole in the wall. That hole might help them hang a picture, mount a shelf, or renovate a room. Each of those is a different 'job,' and understanding the specific job behind the purchase gives businesses much better insight into what their customers actually value.

Why this shift in thinking matters for your business

Traditional approaches to market research often focus on what people are or what they say they want – age groups, purchase history, or desired features. While useful, these perspectives can miss the broader context of why a customer is interacting with your product or service to begin with. JTBD zooms out to capture a more complete picture of a customer's journey.

Key benefits of using the JTBD framework

• Deeper customer insights: Understand underlying motivations, emotions, and decision-making contexts.
• Smarter product innovation: Create solutions tied directly to meaningful customer goals.
• Stronger business strategy: Align your value propositions with what truly matters to people.
• Cross-functional clarity: JTBD provides a common language for teams across marketing, product, and research.

In practice, Jobs To Be Done has been used by companies across industries to uncover unmet customer needs, design better experiences, and unlock new sources of growth. For example, a fictional travel startup might discover that customers aren’t just booking transportation – they’re looking to "reconnect with family before a life milestone," a job that goes far beyond flights and hotels.

That depth of insight is powerful. When you understand the job your product is being hired to do, you can improve it, market it more effectively, and innovate in ways that truly help your customers progress – all while growing your business in a meaningful, sustainable way.

So, what exactly does it mean when we say a customer is “hiring” a product or service to do a job? In the Jobs To Be Done framework, a job represents the progress a person is trying to make in a specific context. It’s not just about function – it’s also about emotional and social outcomes.

Here's a simple example. Imagine a fictional fitness app user named Jason. He’s not just looking for “daily workouts.” His job might be to feel more confident before his upcoming wedding. That broader motivation shapes how often he works out, what type of routines he prefers, and how committed he is to using the app. If a business only focuses on offering workout plans but overlooks his emotional goal, they might miss the opportunity to truly connect with his needs.

Classic JTBD example: Milkshakes for commuters

One well-known case shared in JTBD discussions (developed by researchers including Clayton Christensen) talks about a fast-food company wanting to improve milkshake sales. Instead of asking customers what they liked about the milkshake, they explored when and why people were buying it. They learned that many customers bought milkshakes in the morning to make their long commute more enjoyable and filling – a surprising “job” they hadn’t considered. With that realization, the company improved the product to better match that use case (making it thicker to last longer during the drive) and saw results.

Three components of a customer 'job'

Understanding a job means looking at it from three angles:

• Functional: What task is the person trying to complete? (e.g., book a flight, fix a leak)
• Emotional: How does the person want to feel? (e.g., confident, secure, proud)
• Social: How will others perceive this choice? (e.g., respected by peers, admired by family)

When these components are understood together, your team can design offerings that support the full customer experience – not just the surface-level task.

Connecting JTBD to customer behavior and innovation

Identifying the real job behind a purchase can unlock new market opportunities. Rather than improving existing features, you can ask: What part of the customer’s job journey is unresolved, frustrating, or ignored? This insight often leads directly to innovative ideas or refinements that matter.

Market research methods like interviews, user observation, and digital behavior tracking can all play a role in discovering these jobs. At SIVO Insights, for example, we use both qualitative and quantitative methods to go beyond what customers say, uncovering the deeper beliefs and needs that drive their choices. The aim is to deliver consumer insights that fuel real business growth – not guesswork.

By focusing on the job your customer wants done, rather than just your product’s features, you shift your perspective. You begin to see opportunities through the eyes of your customer – helping you create more value, build stronger loyalty, and design experiences that truly fit their needs.

One of the most powerful aspects of the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is its ability to guide innovation efforts in the right direction. Rather than focusing on features or improving what exists today, JTBD starts with understanding what the customer is truly trying to achieve – their underlying goal or “job.” When businesses identify these jobs and the struggles customers face achieving them, they can design better solutions that fuel product innovation and drive meaningful business growth.

From Customer Frustrations to Product Opportunities

Often, customers aren’t dissatisfied with your product – they’re dissatisfied with the result they’re getting. For example, someone shopping for a meal kit isn’t just buying ingredients. They’re hiring the product to help them cook a healthy dinner quickly after work. If the kit is hard to use or takes too long, it’s not fulfilling its intended job – even if the food itself is high quality.

The JTBD framework helps uncover these kinds of disconnects. By understanding the customer needs behind purchasing decisions, businesses can develop products or services that solve real problems more effectively, creating true value.

Ways JTBD Fuels Innovation:

• Identifies unmet needs: Spot opportunities competitors may have missed by focusing on the customer's goals instead of their demographics.
• Inspires new product categories: By reframing what job your product is hired for, you can unlock completely new solutions or value propositions.
• Improves existing offerings: Use JTBD insights to streamline features, update messaging, or refine service models that better match what users are actually trying to do.
• Shifts internal alignment: Provides a shared language across teams – marketing, R&D, product – that orients everyone around solving for the customer’s job, not just internal goals.

Going Beyond Features to Outcomes

Here’s why this matters: what drives repeat use or loyalty isn’t just aesthetics or pricing – it’s whether your solution does the job better than alternatives. By focusing your business strategy on the outcomes customers want, JTBD helps avoid feature overload and ensures development aligns with real user research findings.

This approach is especially useful for organizations exploring digital transformation, new product lines, or entering new markets. Well-executed JTBD research can reveal not only what customers want now, but how their needs might evolve – fueling both near-term wins and long-term strategic growth.

Understanding the theory behind the Jobs To Be Done framework is one thing – seeing it applied in real contexts brings it to life. While these examples are fictional illustrations, they reflect common ways businesses across industries are using JTBD insights to drive smarter decisions and more resonant offerings.

Consumer Goods: Shifting the Focus from Product to Purpose

A fictional beverage company noticed stagnating sales in its sports drink line. Traditional market research focused on flavor and calories. But through JTBD-style interviews, they discovered a deeper insight – people weren’t just buying the drink to stay hydrated, they were hiring it for energy and motivation during early morning workouts.

This led the brand to reposition its messaging, add performance-enhancing ingredients, and develop a pre-workout format. These JTBD-derived innovations helped them grow share in a niche that wasn’t previously obvious through standard data.

Financial Services: Solving for Emotional Jobs

A fictional credit union wanted to improve its app experience. Rather than surveying members on preferred features, the team took a JTBD approach and explored customer struggles. They uncovered that many users weren’t just managing money – they were trying to feel in control of their financial future.

This “emotional job” led to updates like visual spending goals, alerts to prevent overspending, and content that guided first-time savers. These changes boosted engagement by directly aligning the app with the job members were hiring it to do – not just transferring money, but reducing anxiety.

B2B Software: Aligning Development with True Customer Goals

A fictional SaaS company serving HR teams used JTBD. Initially, they believed clients wanted robust reporting features. But deeper user research revealed that what users really needed was to make confident, quick hiring decisions.

In response, they simplified dashboards, prioritized key indicators, and introduced contextual advice. By understanding the job – “help me choose the right candidate with less risk” – they made their product more aligned with client success metrics, increasing retention and upsell potential.

These examples demonstrate the versatility of JTBD across industries. Whether it's consumer behavior, product reimagination, or uncovering unexpected user needs, JTBD helps businesses make choices that resonate at a human level – not just a functional one.

With so many tools available to understand your market, it's natural to ask: where does JTBD fit, and is it the right approach for your business now?

The answer often depends on your goals. If you’re looking to deepen consumer insights, explore new growth opportunities, or reimagine how your product delivers value, the Jobs To Be Done framework can be a powerful addition to your strategy toolkit.

When JTBD Might Be Especially Useful:

• You’re facing stalled growth – and want fresh insights into what customers really want, not just what they say.
• You’re launching or repositioning a product – and need to ensure it’s solving the right problem from the start.
• Your team is overwhelmed by feature requests – and you need clarity on which ones truly matter.
• You want to de-risk innovation – by grounding it in clear customer outcomes.

JTBD is not a replacement for all market research methods. In fact, it works best when combined with other qualitative and quantitative tools. At SIVO Insights, we often blend JTBD-based approaches with traditional research to offer a fuller picture of customer behavior.

For example, traditional segmentation still helps you understand “who” your customer is; JTBD shows you “why” they act. Together, the two approaches power more targeted marketing, product evolution, and strategic foresight.

Making JTBD Work in Your Organization

If you're new to the approach, you don’t have to overhaul your entire process. Instead, JTBD can be layered into existing business strategy conversations, coaching your teams to think in terms of goals and struggles – not just features and functionality.

Whether you’re a startup validating product-market fit or a larger organization seeking renewed relevance, JTBD helps keep your focus where it belongs: on the human being using your solution and the job they need to get done.