The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is a customer-centered approach that helps businesses understand the deeper motivations behind purchasing decisions. Rather than focusing on who a customer is or even what product they are buying, JTBD focuses on the specific task or problem – the "job" – that a person is trying to solve in their life.

This concept stems from a simple but game-changing idea: people don't buy products for the sake of owning them – they "hire" them to do a job. That job could be functional (e.g., getting from point A to point B), emotional (e.g., feeling confident in a presentation), or social (e.g., appearing knowledgeable among peers). Understanding the job gives businesses a clearer view of what customers are truly trying to accomplish.

How the JTBD framework works

Using the JTBD method involves digging into the context, triggers, and outcomes surrounding a customer’s decision. Rather than beginning with preconceived audience segments, JTBD research starts with scenarios and asks questions like:

• What situation prompted this customer to seek a solution?
• What goals or tasks are they trying to get done?
• What obstacles or frustrations are they experiencing with current options?

Through interviews, journey mapping, and qualitative insights, you begin to paint a picture of the job independent of any one product or brand. From there, teams can identify innovation opportunities that weren’t necessarily obvious through traditional research lenses.

A simple example of JTBD in action

Imagine a company that sells protein shakes. Traditional research might profile buyers by age, income, and health habits. JTBD, on the other hand, might reveal that some customers are hiring the shake each morning to replace a skipped breakfast on a hectic commute – not just for nutrition, but to feel more in-control of their day. That job – “get a quick, mess-free breakfast that feels like a healthy choice” – opens doors to new feature development, messaging, or distribution solutions that better align with the customer task.

By focusing on understanding customer jobs, businesses can design offerings that directly support real-life outcomes. That’s the core strength of the JTBD approach: linking insight directly to action in product, messaging, and customer experience planning.

Traditional market research typically focuses on descriptive factors – who the customer is, what they buy, and how often. These methods include customer surveys, purchase data analysis, focus groups, and attitudinal segmentations. While these can produce valuable consumer insights, they often stop short of fully explaining why people make choices the way they do.

The Jobs to Be Done framework brings a different lens to the table. Instead of grouping customers by persona or product preference, JTBD seeks to understand the specific progress people are trying to make in a certain context. This subtle shift – from profile to purpose – leads to different research questions, deeper motivations, and more actionable insights.

Key differences between JTBD and traditional market research

• Customer role vs. Customer goal: Traditional methods explore demographic roles (e.g., “Millennial moms”), while JTBD focuses on goals (e.g., "Find a way to keep toddlers entertained without screens.")
• Product-first vs. outcome-first: Classic research often starts with a specific product in mind. JTBD centers on the job and then backtracks to possible solutions.
• What happened? vs. Why did it happen?: Market research typically reports behavior data. JTBD aims to decode the forces behind the decision – such as unmet needs or context-driven challenges.

Why this matters for business strategy

When you’re focused on growth strategy or product innovation, traditional market research can help validate performance and optimize existing ideas. But when you need to uncover unmet customer needs or pivot creatively, JTBD provides a roadmap for doing so. It helps shift the mindset from selling more of what you’ve made to designing what people actually need.

For example, a fictional home cleaning brand might use traditional research to segment customers by home size and cleaning frequency. In contrast, a JTBD approach could reveal that many buyers are actually hiring the product before hosting guests – their real job being “make my home feel presentable fast when I’m pressed for time.” That’s a different trigger, and it changes how the product should be positioned and improved.

Both JTBD and traditional methods offer value – in fact, they can often work best together as part of an integrated consumer insights approach. At SIVO, we often guide clients on when and how to use JTBD based on the decisions at hand. The key is knowing what questions you need answered. For uncovering deep customer motivations that lead to innovation and relevance, JTBD offers a distinct and powerful perspective.

Why Business Leaders Are Turning to JTBD for Product and Growth Strategies

For business leaders seeking clarity in a fast-changing marketplace, the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework offers a sharper way to align products with real customer needs. Unlike traditional market research – which often focuses on demographic slices or purchase patterns – JTBD zeroes in on the motivation behind customer actions. Simply put, it uncovers why someone hires a product or service to get a specific job done.

As strategies become increasingly customer-driven, more companies are moving from surface-level data to deeper consumer insights. Business leaders are recognizing that growth happens when you understand not just who your customers are, but what they're trying to accomplish.

JTBD Fuels Product Innovation and Market Fit

By focusing on the “job” rather than the product, JTBD exposes unmet needs in customers’ lives. Companies can then innovate around those gaps, creating solutions that are more useful, relevant, and timely.

For example, a fictional fitness brand using JTBD might discover that people aren’t buying at-home workouts to “exercise” – they’re hiring them to feel more energized before work. This insight can shift product development toward shorter, morning-friendly routines that better serve that underlying job.

Leaders can use the JTBD approach not as a replacement for traditional research, but as an advanced lens for defining value from the customer’s point of view.

Key Reasons Business Leaders Embrace JTBD

• De-risks innovation: JTBD reveals actual use cases and motivations, helping avoid dead-end product ideas.
• Improves growth strategy: Knowing the job allows brands to compete differently – not just on features or price.
• Clarifies customer priorities: It helps teams focus on what matters most to users, not just what’s measurable in surveys.
• Cross-functional alignment: JTBD frameworks provide a shared language for marketing, design, and strategy teams.

In short, JTBD helps decision-makers see beyond arbitrary categories and into the real goals that drive behavior. When leaders use this framework to drive product innovation or shape their growth strategy, they set the stage for solutions that consistently meet – and often exceed – customer expectations.

Real-World Benefits: What JTBD Can Uncover That Demographics Can't

Traditional market research has long relied on segmenting customers by age, gender, income, or location. While demographic data can be helpful for targeting and messaging, it rarely explains why people make decisions. That’s where the Jobs to Be Done framework stands out – offering a unique view into the goals, challenges, and motivations that actually influence behavior.

Think about two customers who are both 35-year-old professionals living in the same city. Demographically identical, right? But one might “hire” a ready-made meal kit to save time after long workdays, while the other chooses it to reduce mealtime decision fatigue. Demographics alone would miss these distinct customer needs – and opportunities.

JTBD Reveals the 'Why' Behind the Buy

JTBD dives deeper into the emotional and functional drivers that lead someone to choose a product or service. This approach reveals:

• Desired outcomes: What goal is the customer actually trying to achieve?
• Obstacles to success: What barriers or frustrations are they experiencing?
• Context of use: When and how do they use the product or service?

By understanding these motivations, businesses unlock insights that don't show up in surveys built solely around age brackets or income ranges.

The Competitive Edge of Going Beyond Segments

Customer jobs are surprisingly consistent across segments. A college student and a retiree might both “hire” a budget travel app for the same reason: to explore new places with confidence and control. JTBD helps brands identify these common jobs across diverse user groups, leading to broader relevance and efficient scaling.

Fictional example: A skincare brand using JTBD discovers that what customers really value isn’t “hydration for dry skin” based on age or skin type, but rather the confidence to attend important meetings without feeling self-conscious. With this deeper insight, the brand pivots its messaging and product design to address that underlying job – not just surface symptoms.

By focusing on individual motivations over mass segments, JTBD produces richer, more predictive consumer insights. It helps businesses design around what people are trying to accomplish – and delivers clearer pathways to product-market fit.

When to Use JTBD in Your Business Decision-Making Process

Knowing when to apply Jobs to Be Done can make a significant difference in the value it brings to your business strategy. JTBD isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, but it's especially powerful in moments when organizations are looking to grow, differentiate, or deepen their understanding of customer needs.

So, when is the right time to use the JTBD framework? Here are the most impactful use cases:

1. You're Developing or Redesigning a Product or Service

JTBD for product innovation is one of the most recognized applications of the framework. Whether launching something new or improving an existing offering, JTBD helps ensure you're solving the right problems – not just optimizing features. It reveals how your audience defines success when they use your product, and guides you toward delivering meaningful outcomes.

2. Your Growth Has Stalled or Plateaued

If customer acquisition is slowing or your messaging no longer resonates, you may be missing a deeper shift in what matters to your audience. JTBD surfaces hidden needs and uncovers emerging jobs that traditional market research might not catch. These insights can then guide adjustments to your growth strategy or marketing efforts.

3. You're Entering a New Market or Audience Segment

Traditional profiling only goes so far when approaching new customer groups. JTBD helps businesses understand the functional, emotional, and social jobs that drive decisions across different audiences. This is especially helpful when your existing research doesn’t translate into actionable strategy in unfamiliar markets.

4. You Need Cross-Functional Alignment

The JTBD framework gives teams a shared understanding of customer goals. Whether you’re in product, marketing, or leadership, JTBD can streamline communication and decision-making by centering conversations around the outcomes customers seek – rather than debated assumptions.

5. You're Looking to Differentiate in a Crowded Market

When multiple competitors target the same audience with similar features, JTBD opens the door to alternative ways of winning. By identifying what job your product uniquely solves that others do not, you can break out of the race-to-the-bottom cycle of pricing or promotion-based competition.

Understanding how to use Jobs to Be Done in different business scenarios allows leaders to make more customer-informed decisions. Whether you’re exploring new offerings, refining messaging, or just trying to better define your target audience, JTBD helps you connect the dots between customer motivations and strategic action.