The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is a research-driven approach to understanding why customers choose – or don’t choose – a product or service. At its core, JTBD flips the script on traditional market research by focusing not on the customer themselves, but on the underlying job they’re trying to accomplish when they ‘hire’ a product.

Think of it this way: people don’t just buy coffee. They may be hiring a cup of coffee to help them stay alert during a long meeting, kick-start their morning routine, or even enjoy a moment of calm in a busy day. The JTBD framework dives into those jobs – the deeper motivations behind purchasing decisions – and helps businesses design better solutions to fulfill them.

Why This Framework Matters for Business

Understanding the real reasons customers turn to your business is critical for business growth, product innovation, and stronger customer engagement. Traditional methods often stop at surface-level insights, such as demographics or usage patterns. But JTBD pushes further – providing context behind behavior and replacing assumptions with evidence.

Here’s why Jobs to Be Done matters for business leaders:

• Reduces product development risk: By identifying what customers are truly trying to achieve, you’re less likely to build something nobody wants.
• Improves product-market fit: JTBD aligns offerings with customer needs and motivations, resulting in more relevant, useful solutions.
• Drives customer-centric innovation: Instead of building based on demographics or trends, you create based on real human intent.
• Enhances messaging and positioning: When you understand the job your product is hired for, you can communicate more effectively with your audience.

JTBD vs. Traditional Market Research

While traditional research often centers on the user (“millennial parents” or “urban commuters”), JTBD focuses on the situation and the progress someone is trying to make. It's not about who the customer is but what the customer is trying to do.

For instance, a fictional startup building a budgeting app might assume their core customer is “young professionals ages 25–34.” That’s helpful, but not enough. A JTBD approach might reveal several ‘jobs,’ such as “I want to track my spending to avoid overdraft fees” or “I want to set aside money each month so I can travel.” These insights lead to better features – and better customer satisfaction.

In short, JTBD gives you the why behind the what. And when you understand why your customers make decisions, you can craft smarter strategies that fuel innovation and drive business success.

One of the most powerful aspects of the Jobs to Be Done framework is the mindset shift it requires. Instead of asking, “Who is my customer?” JTBD invites you to ask, “What is my customer trying to accomplish?” This subtle but significant pivot changes how businesses approach everything from product design to marketing to problem-solving.

Traditionally, many organizations rely on customer personas or segments built around age, income, geographic location, or lifestyle. While this data has value, it often doesn’t tell the full story. Two people from the same demographic group may choose completely different products for vastly different reasons. That’s where JTBD stands apart – it looks at context, intent, and the outcome the customer wants to achieve.

From ‘Customer Profile’ to ‘Customer Purpose’

Let’s say you’re developing a meal delivery kit. Standard market research might identify your audience as “busy working parents.” But within that group, one subset might turn to your kit as a way to save time during chaotic weeknights, while another might use it to introduce healthy eating habits to their kids.

In the JTBD model, these are two different jobs – each with unique needs, pain points, and expectations. Recognizing this distinction can lead to more personalized offerings, more precise messaging, and ultimately a stronger connection with your customers.

Why Jobs — Not Just People — Drive Behavior

By focusing on jobs rather than people, you uncover the root cause behind decision-making. This method accounts for how real-life situations, emotions, and desired outcomes shape buying behavior more than static characteristics ever could.

Here are some practical insights JTBD helps reveal:

• What triggers a customer to start looking for a solution?
• What barriers keep them from switching to something new?
• What outcomes do they expect once the job is ‘done’?

For example, in a fictional example, a financial service provider may learn that customers aren’t just “choosing banks,” they’re trying to “feel in control of their financial future” or “stop feeling anxious about unexpected expenses.” Those deeper jobs may guide improvements in digital tools, customer service, or even product bundles.

Making the Shift in Your Organization

Adopting a Jobs to Be Done mindset doesn’t require building a new research department overnight. It starts with asking different types of questions – and listening differently. As a business leader, this shift opens doors to deeper customer understanding and better alignment between your offerings and real-world use.

If you’re ready to move beyond assumptions and into richer insight, JTBD is a strong addition to your market research toolkit. It doesn’t replace other methods – but when paired with qualitative interviews, observational research, or data analysis, it brings your customer motivations into sharp focus. At SIVO Insights, we often guide teams through this transition, helping them unlock fresh possibilities for product innovation and long-term growth.

Understanding customer needs starts by digging into the real 'job' a person is trying to solve.

Let’s bring the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework to life with a few simplified, fictional examples that show how it applies across various industries. These are not actual SIVO cases, but illustrative scenarios designed to help you see JTBD in action.

Example 1: Consumer Goods – A Better Breakfast Option

Imagine a cereal brand trying to increase sales among busy professionals. Traditional research might focus on demographics like age or income. But by using JTBD, the company uncovers a more useful insight: people aren't just buying cereal – they're looking to 'feel energized and full until lunch without slowing down their morning routine.'

This reframes the product’s purpose, leading to innovations like on-the-go packaging, high-protein formulas, or bundles with coffee pods – aligning with the real 'job' customers are hiring breakfast to do.

Example 2: Financial Services – Saving Without Sacrifice

A bank wants to design a savings product for young adults. Classic segmentation might look at age and income. But using the JTBD lens, they realize the customer’s job is to 'feel financially secure without giving up flexibility to spend on experiences.'

This sparks a solution like an auto-savings app that moves small amounts to savings based on user behavior, not fixed rules, helping people meet their goals without friction.

Example 3: Healthcare – Beyond the Appointment

Consider a telehealth provider exploring why patients choose virtual visits. The true job revealed? 'Get reassurance quickly when symptoms arise, without the stress and delay of traditional clinics.'

This insight leads to investments in instant scheduling, better symptom-checker tools, and calming user interfaces – all crafted around the emotional and functional needs of real people.

Example 4: Technology – Simplifying Family Life

A smart home device company discovers their product isn’t just for 'home automation enthusiasts.' The actual job is 'make managing household tasks easier for working parents juggling it all.'

This leads to tailored features like shared family calendars, chore reminders, or voice-command grocery lists – innovations tied directly to the consumer’s lived experience.

In each case, JTBD shifts the focus from product features or buyer personas to the deeper outcome customers are seeking. This leads to more insightful decisions and offers that feel custom-made – not just broadly marketed.

Why guessing what customers want is risky – and how JTBD offers a smarter path.

It’s no secret that many new products or services fail to gain traction, even when backed by significant research or investment. Often, the reason is simple: the solution was built around what the company wanted to sell, not what the customer needed to solve. This is where JTBD proves powerful.

By aligning product innovation and business decisions with the real-life goals of customers, the Jobs to Be Done framework reduces missteps and increases the likelihood of market fit from day one.

How JTBD Lowers Business Risk

• Sharper Customer Understanding: JTBD dives into the context and intent behind a purchase – not just demographics or behaviors – helping teams avoid assumptions that can mislead strategy.
• Focused Innovation: Instead of endless brainstorming, teams center their efforts around what matters most to users. This avoids overbuilding or launching unwanted features.
• Better Prioritization: Resources are invested in solving jobs that carry high emotional or practical value for customers – areas where adoption is more likely to follow.

How JTBD Drives Growth

When businesses understand the true customer motivation behind their offering, they gain a roadmap for expansion. JTBD fuels growth by unlocking opportunities like:

• Identifying underserved segments: Customers trying to do the same job but lacking a good solution are ripe for targeted innovation.
• Creating value differentiation: Competing on 'job performance' rather than features builds true brand loyalty.
• Expanding use cases: Insights into jobs help businesses uncover adjacent 'mini-jobs' they can serve – enlarging market scope.

For example, a fitness app originally designed for high-performance athletes might discover that many users actually hire it to feel empowered and make small progress over time. With this JTBD insight, the company can expand offerings to guide emotional victories, not just physical goals – growing its base while deepening current user engagement.

Unlike traditional methods that might rely on what customers say they want, JTBD reveals underlying drivers of choice. That makes it a reliable compass for innovation – one that balances bold moves with grounded customer realities.

SIVO connects the dots between strategy and human behavior – fueling innovation that lasts.

Understanding Jobs to Be Done is powerful, but knowing how to uncover these jobs effectively requires the right tools, methods, and mindset. That’s where SIVO can help. As a leading market research and consumer insights firm, we specialize in designing custom studies that reveal the root motivations behind customer choices – the kind that drive smarter, more confident business decisions.

Our Approach to JTBD

At SIVO, we treat JTBD not just as a theory, but as a lens through which we decode behavior. Our insights team digs deep into:

• Context: When and how are consumers experiencing the pain points that lead them to 'hire' or 'fire' a solution?
• Motivation: What emotional and functional outcomes are they striving for?
• Outcomes: What does successful job completion look like from the customer’s point of view?

These layers are uncovered through qualitative interviews, behavioral analysis, journey mapping, surveys, and more – all tailored to the unique business challenges you face.

From Insight to Action

What sets SIVO apart is our commitment to making the complex simple. We translate JTBD findings into strategic guidance that business leaders, product teams, and marketers can confidently act on. Whether you’re planning a new product, refining your positioning, or entering new markets, our research ensures you don’t just guess – you know.

Why Clients Trust SIVO

Our approach is flexible and scalable. Whether you need a full-service custom project or fractional insight talent to bolster your existing team, we plug in where needed. With deep industry expertise, human-centered research methods, and the ability to combine tools like JTBD with AI-enhanced analysis, we deliver insights that are both nuanced and actionable.

By grounding strategy in real customer jobs and outcomes, you gain clarity, reduce waste, and move confidently forward – no matter your category or company size.