The 'Jobs To Be Done' (JTBD) framework is a way to understand why people choose certain products, services, or experiences based on the task – or 'job' – they are trying to accomplish. The idea is simple: customers don’t just buy products randomly. They ‘hire’ them to do something in their lives.

Think of it like this: When someone buys a drill, they don’t actually want a drill – they want a hole in the wall. The real job is creating a hole, not owning a drill. If another solution came along that made the hole faster, cleaner, or cheaper than a drill, they might switch. That shift in focus is what makes JTBD such a practical tool for business innovation.

Breaking Down the JTBD Concept

At its core, JTBD is based on understanding context and motivation. It goes beyond standard demographic research to look at:

• The situation: When and where does the need arise?
• The goal: What is the customer trying to achieve?
• The outcome: What does success look like for them?

By answering these types of questions, businesses can design better products and services – not just based on assumptions or features, but on what people genuinely need.

JTBD vs. Traditional Customer Profiles

Traditional market research often defines customers by who they are (age, gender, occupation). JTBD shifts the spotlight to why they act – what they are trying to get done in their lives. This shift helps uncover hidden opportunities across all segments, not just specific demographics.

Real-World (Fictional) Example:

Imagine a food delivery company. Instead of just thinking "Our customer is a 32-year-old urban professional," they might discover that customers are hiring their service to 'avoid cooking after a long day' or 'eat with family while saving time.' Understanding those jobs allows the brand to optimize menus, improve delivery features, or create new loyalty programs tailored to what matters most.

The beauty of the Jobs To Be Done approach is that it sounds simple – because it is. But underneath that simplicity are powerful insights that shape smarter product improvement and innovation strategies. By focusing on the job, not just the user, you build solutions that align more naturally with real behavior.

Jobs To Be Done isn’t just a way to understand your customers – it’s a powerful growth strategy. Whether you're launching something new or trying to improve existing products, JTBD can help companies make smarter decisions rooted in real-world behavior. It’s one of the most accessible tools in the simple market research toolbox with big potential impact.

Putting Customer Needs Front and Center

One of the main challenges businesses face today is that customers have more choices than ever. If your product or service doesn’t clearly solve a real need, people won’t use it – no matter how creative your marketing is. JTBD reframes your approach by asking: what problems are our customers hiring us to solve?

This kind of user research helps identify unmet needs, frustrating gaps, and overlooked moments in the customer journey. These insights lead to smarter innovations that stick – because they’re anchored in real motivations, not speculation.

How JTBD Fuels Innovation and Differentiation

When your team uses JTBD to guide product improvement, you avoid the common trap of just adding more features. Instead, you focus on what outcomes the customer actually cares about. That clarity drives:

• Focused innovation: Develop solutions that solve specific, validated problems.
• Clear messaging: Market in language that reflects how customers think and talk about their needs.
• Better prioritization: Use insights to invest in changes that will deliver the most impact.

Driving Business Outcomes

Companies that apply JTBD principles see benefits across multiple areas:

1. Smarter product development: Teams design features based on what customers truly want to accomplish – not guesswork.

2. Faster go-to-market: With clear insight into customer jobs, brands align their offerings with real demand faster.

3. Sustainable growth strategy: JTBD reveals opportunities for expansion tied to actual behaviors – not just demographics or trends.

A JTBD-Focused Culture = A Resilient Business

When leaders adopt a JTBD mindset, it encourages cross-functional teams to connect deeply with their customers. Marketing, product, and operations can rally around a shared, people-driven purpose: helping customers get a job done well. This alignment builds strong brand loyalty and long-term value.

Whether you're part of a start-up or a global brand, integrating JTBD into your growth strategy helps ensure you're solving the right problems – the ones that matter to the people you serve.

Seeing Customers Beyond Demographics

One of the most powerful aspects of the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is how it redefines how we view customers. Traditional market research often focuses on demographics – age, gender, income – but JTBD looks deeper. It asks: What is the customer trying to accomplish in their life? What “job” are they hiring a product or service to do?

This shift helps businesses uncover the true drivers behind consumer choices. Instead of asking, “What do our customers look like?”, JTBD encourages asking, “What are they trying to get done – and how can we help them do it better?”

Understanding Motivation, Not Just Behavior

Consumer behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum. JTBD helps uncover the context behind the decisions people make – whether daily or once in a lifetime. It reveals emotional and functional needs, which play a critical role in how someone chooses between competing options.

For example, someone buying a blender isn’t just looking for wattage or price. They may be trying to eat healthier, save time on meal prep, or simplify their morning routine. When you understand the real job they're hiring the blender for, you can design features, messaging, and experiences that truly resonate.

Benefits of JTBD for Understanding Customer Needs

• Context-rich insights: You learn not just what customers are doing, but why they're doing it.
• Identifying unmet needs: JTBD highlights where current solutions fall short, creating opportunities for product improvement or new offerings.
• Clearer innovation paths: With clarity around customer struggles, your team can prioritize the solutions that matter most.

From Insights to Impact

When applied thoughtfully, JTBD goes beyond user research or basic customer surveys by tying real-world needs to concrete product and business decisions. It forms a strong foundation for growth strategies, helping organizations connect the dots between voice of customer feedback, product development, and long-term brand loyalty.

Turning Insights into Innovation

The true value of Jobs To Be Done comes to life when we see it applied in business settings. While every company uses JTBD differently, the framework consistently helps teams align products and services with real customer struggles. Let’s look at a few fictional examples to show how JTBD plays out across industries.

1. A Fitness App Designed Around Busy Lifestyles

A startup gym app initially targeted “health-conscious millennials.” But after conducting JTBD-style interviews, the team found that users weren’t just looking for exercise – they were trying to fit movement into packed schedules, feel energized in the mornings, and maintain long-term motivation. Instead of just pushing workouts, the company reframed its product to help users “build healthy routines effortlessly.” Features like 10-minute flexible sessions, energy tracking, and daily habit reminders attracted a broader audience and boosted retention rates.

2. A Bank Reimagines the New Account Experience

Rather than focusing on credit card perks or interest rates, a regional bank explored what new customers were actually trying to get done. It turned out that most weren’t comparing rates – they were trying to “feel adult” after a major life milestone, like graduating or getting a job. The bank created a simplified digital onboarding experience and added tools for budgeting and financial confidence. This shift helped personalize the customer journey and increase cross-product engagement.

3. A Food Brand Meets the Needs of the “Overwhelmed Parent”

In the frozen meals category, a food brand discovered that its target audience – busy parents – weren’t just buying convenience. They were looking to “get dinner on the table without guilt” while managing work, kids, and exhaustion. Using JTBD insights, the brand launched new packaging focused on time savings and real ingredients, along with meal bundles designed for weeknight wins. Sales rose, and the repositioning helped the brand connect with a values-driven customer base.

Key Takeaway

JTBD helps teams step out of the product-first mindset and into the customer’s world. Whether you're in tech, CPG, finance, or services, the method helps frame innovation through the lens of real human challenges – leading to better business outcomes based on practical, simple market research principles.

Not Just for Startups or New Products

Many business leaders assume Jobs To Be Done is only useful during major innovation efforts or product launches. But the JTBD framework can be applied at many stages of growth and across different departments. In fact, it’s often most powerful when used early and often – not just when things aren’t working.

Consider JTBD if you are:

• Developing or improving a product: JTBD helps define the real user problems to solve.
• Exploring new markets or offerings: Understanding customer jobs reveals unmet needs across segments.
• Repositioning your brand or messaging: Aligning with the job your customers care about leads to more effective communication.
• Seeking growth strategy insights: JTBD fuels innovation by shifting the focus from what you sell to why it matters.

JTBD Is Especially Valuable When:

1. You’re hearing conflicting customer feedback.
When teams receive mixed signals from voice-of-customer research, JTBD clarifies what truly drives decisions by finding the underlying job to be done.

2. Your product is being used in unexpected ways.
Sometimes users adapt your product for a completely different job than originally intended. JTBD research reveals these patterns so you can invest in the right features or expansion ideas.

3. You’re watching competitors gain ground.
Rather than react to marketing moves, you can focus on helping customers better solve their “job” – building long-term differentiation based on a clearer understanding of customer needs.

JTBD for Startups, Enterprises, and Everyone in Between

Whether you’re a founder refining an MVP or a product manager inside a Fortune 500 brand, the Jobs To Be Done method offers a simplified, customer-first view of innovation. It supports everything from quick user research to full-scale growth strategy. JTBD doesn’t replace traditional market research; instead, it complements it by focusing on emotional, functional, and situational triggers people face every day.