The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is a way of thinking about customer behavior that shifts the focus from the product itself to the purpose it serves in someone’s life. In simple terms, JTBD asks: What job is the customer hiring this product or service to do?

Unlike traditional market research that may segment customers by demographics or purchase history alone, Jobs To Be Done explores the underlying reasons people make decisions – their goals, struggles, and desired outcomes. This approach helps businesses build a clearer picture of real-world needs and motivations.

Why is this valuable in market research?

Understanding JTBD is essential because it gets to the heart of customer insights. Rather than assuming you know what people want based on observable behavior, Jobs To Be Done uncovers the “why” beneath the “what.” This leads to more targeted innovation, communication, and customer experiences.

• Focuses on outcomes: JTBD reveals what customers are trying to achieve, not just what they’re doing.
• Supports business innovation: It helps identify unmet needs that lead to smarter product development.
• Improves decision-making: It aligns teams around real customer problems instead of personal opinions or assumptions.

For example, a fitness app might think users want more workout features. But a JTBD lens might reveal something deeper – busy professionals may be “hiring” the app to help them feel confident during a stressful work week. This insight shapes not just product design, but messaging and user experience too.

JTBD vs. traditional research frameworks

Traditional methods often focus on what people say they want, or what they’ve done in the past. While valuable, that data doesn’t always explain what they truly need. JTBD complements these methods by filling in the motivational gaps – giving a richer, more action-oriented view of your audience.

By integrating Jobs To Be Done into your market research framework, you're better equipped to see your product or service from the user's point of view – which leads to more meaningful strategies for growth.

One of the most powerful benefits of the Jobs To Be Done framework is how it uncovers deeper, human-centered customer needs beyond surface-level behaviors. While traditional research might tell you what someone is doing, JTBD helps you reveal why they’re doing it.

At its core, JTBD is a customer motivation research method. It helps organizations shift their focus to the underlying problem the customer is trying to solve – their “job” – and what a successful solution looks like from their perspective. By identifying these job-related insights, businesses gain clearer direction on how to create value in ways that actually matter to people.

Types of Jobs: Functional, Emotional, Social

When looking at customer needs through the JTBD lens, it’s useful to break them down by job type:

 
• Functional Jobs: The practical problem someone is trying to solve (e.g. "I need to transport my groceries from store to home").
 
• Emotional Jobs: How the customer wants to feel (e.g. "I want to feel smart about my choices").
 
• Social Jobs: The way a person wants to be perceived (e.g. "I want to appear eco-conscious to others").

These layers of motivation often overlap and influence purchasing decisions, and JTBD uncovers all three. By understanding these jobs, businesses can build stronger connections with their audience and design solutions that hit the mark.

Real-world example:

Imagine you're a company creating a meal-kit delivery service. Traditional market research might show that your audience values convenience and enjoys cooking. But through JTBD research, you might learn that busy parents are “hiring” your service not just to save time, but to feel like they’re providing healthy, home-cooked meals without sacrificing family moments. That's a very different – and more emotionally-driven – insight that can guide brand messaging, feature development, and strategic growth planning.

What JTBD does differently

 
• Goes beyond demographics: JTBD focuses on context and goals rather than age, income, or gender.
 
• Reveals decision-making triggers: It identifies moments of struggle, progress, or change that prompt people to switch solutions.
 
• Highlights desired outcomes: By understanding success from the user’s perspective, teams can design better product experiences.

When applied thoughtfully, Jobs To Be Done provides critical insights that support customer-centric product development, messaging, and innovation efforts. It enables research teams and business leaders to think in terms of real-life needs and the human journey behind every decision, transforming data into action and assumptions into understanding.

Aligning Around What Truly Matters to Customers

One of the most valuable outcomes of applying the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework in market research is how it helps businesses realign their thinking. Instead of focusing solely on demographics or purchasing habits, JTBD enables teams to look at why customers make decisions: what job are they hiring a product or service to do in their life?

This method encourages a deep exploration of customer motivations and unmet needs. When companies focus on the job instead of just the user, they can unlock insights that traditional market research methods may overlook. This leads to products and services that solve real problems – and stand out in the market.

Clear Business Value from JTBD Insights

Understanding what drives consumer behavior isn’t just interesting – it’s actionable. Using JTBD in market research delivers tangible benefits:

• Improved product development: By knowing what job customers are trying to get done, teams can prioritize features or innovations that directly support those needs.
• Smarter marketing strategies: JTBD insights help create campaigns that speak clearly to the real-life jobs customers are trying to accomplish, improving relevance and engagement.
• Greater cross-functional alignment: When everyone from product teams to marketing to leadership is working toward solving the same customer job, execution becomes more focused and effective.
• Competitive edge: Products that do the job better than the alternatives are more likely to succeed – giving brands an advantage in crowded markets.

A Framework that Supports Growth Strategy

The JTBD method also plays a powerful role in broader growth strategies. By identifying emerging jobs (those that are underserved or newly arising in the market), companies can spot new business opportunities early. This proactive lens supports innovation and long-term planning.

In short, JTBD turns customer research into a strategic tool – helping businesses not just react to the market, but shape it by offering precisely what people need, when they need it, and in a way that fits into their lives.

Practical Examples of JTBD in Action

Understanding the theory behind Jobs To Be Done is just the beginning. The real power of JTBD comes through when applied to market decisions – helping brands make smarter choices based on what their customers are actually trying to accomplish.

Here are a few fictional examples that demonstrate how companies across industries can use the JTBD framework to uncover actionable customer insights and fuel product development and innovation (note: examples are illustrative and not based on real SIVO client work).

Example 1: A Beverage Brand Rethinks Hydration

A popular sports drink brand was seeing flat sales despite increased marketing. Traditional research showed stable interest, but didn’t explain the plateau. Through a JTBD exploration, the team discovered an overlooked insight: many consumers were “hiring” the drink not for workouts, but as an afternoon energy boost at work – an entirely different job.

This led the brand to create a new caffeine-enhanced line, develop messaging tailored to office refreshment, and gain traction with a whole new audience.

Example 2: A Home Improvement Store Focuses on Progress

A large home improvement retailer used JTBD interviews to understand what project starters really needed. It turned out many customers weren’t focused on tools – they were focused on a sense of progress. They were hiring the store to feel momentum and clarity on a project they had been putting off.

Armed with this, the retailer revamped in-store experience, trained staff to support early-stage planning, and created project starter kits. Sales increased, and customer loyalty improved.

Example 3: A Financial Platform Streamlines Saving

A fintech app sought to increase use of its savings tools. Surveys yielded limited insight – users liked the idea, but uptake remained low. When viewed through JTBD, researchers saw that users weren’t just saving money – they were trying to gain peace of mind for future uncertainties.

By reframing the savings tools around emotional reassurance and creating journey-based triggers (like quick wins for unexpected expenses), the app drove more sign-ups and higher engagement.

Common Ways Brands Use JTBD

• Refining product positioning based on real consumer jobs
• Identifying underserved segments or overlooked motivations
• Fueling innovation by spotting new jobs or tensions to solve
• Improving customer experience by aligning service with customer priorities

Companies that apply Jobs To Be Done in market research typically see better alignment across strategy, product, and messaging – because it all starts with a genuine understanding of the consumer’s purpose.

Applying the JTBD Framework with SIVO’s Expertise

At SIVO Insights, we believe that market research is most powerful when it’s grounded in real human behavior – what people do, what they believe, and why it matters. The Jobs To Be Done approach aligns perfectly with our mission to uncover the deeper truths behind customer needs.

Our team applies JTBD in a thoughtful, customized way. We're not here to squeeze your business into a one-size-fits-all template. Instead, we work closely with you to explore your audience, your goals, and your competitive context – then identify the job(s) your customers are truly trying to get done.

How We Use JTBD in Our Research Process

Whether through qualitative interviews, immersive ethnographic research, or targeted surveys, we design market research methods that bring the JTBD framework to life. Here's how we typically help brands apply JTBD effectively:

• Job exploration sessions: We guide teams through discovery workshops and research activities to identify the primary and secondary jobs their product is solving – or could solve.
• Custom research design: We use a hybrid of qualitative and quantitative tools to validate key jobs across real consumer segments, uncover hidden motivations, and assess solution fit.
• Insight activation: With actionable findings in hand, we support teams in turning JTBD insights into product briefs, messaging frameworks, innovation roadmaps, or internal alignment tools.

This isn’t theoretical. We continuously apply this work to help brands unlock growth strategy opportunities, expand market appeal, and inspire innovation across all stages of the customer journey.

What Makes SIVO Different

Because SIVO is more than just a research vendor – we’re a partner in your strategic process – we tailor our work to your needs. Our JTBD studies can stand alone or integrate with broader consumer insight programs, innovation sprints, or even long-term organizational intelligence efforts. And thanks to our flexible hybrid model, you can also pair our research team with On Demand Talent (ODT) to support execution and decision-making beyond the study.

Whether you’re entering a new market, refining a core product, or simply trying to better understand the “why” behind your customer behavior, our JTBD solutions are designed to help you translate insight into action – and that action into measurable growth.