#9 Understanding customers using Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) | Bob Moesta, co-creator of the JTBD framework
May 24, 2024
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Bob Moesta, co-creator of the Jobs to Be Done framework and CEO of Re-wired Group, shares insights from his extensive experience in product development. He discusses how understanding a customer's context and desired outcomes can revolutionize product innovation. Moesta emphasizes that just 10-12 interviews can reveal vital patterns and highlights the importance of aligning product, design, and marketing teams through JTBD. He also critiques traditional competitive analysis and showcases the effectiveness of a problem-centric approach in product planning.
Understanding the specific context in which a customer operates is crucial for determining a product's true value and effectiveness.
Focusing on customer desired outcomes rather than just problems opens up broader avenues for innovation and potential solutions.
Conducting organic interviews without predefined questions can lead to richer data and deeper insights into customer motivations and contexts.
Deep dives
The Role of Context in Product Value
Context is crucial in determining the value that a product offers. In certain situations, a product may significantly enhance value, while in others, its worth may diminish. Understanding the specific context in which a customer operates can help identify how and when they would derive value from a product. This recognition allows businesses to adapt their offerings and marketing strategies to align with various customer contexts, ultimately leading to more effective solutions.
Aligning Outcomes with Customer Needs
Focusing on customer desired outcomes, rather than just problems, is essential for innovation. Customers seek progress and have specific results they wish to achieve, and understanding these transitions can inform product development. By considering the outcomes customers desire, businesses can explore multiple potential solutions instead of being restricted to their initial ideas. This broader perspective on problem-solving helps drive innovation and increase the likelihood of success.
Understanding Jobs to Be Done Framework
The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) theory emphasizes the importance of comprehending why people make purchasing decisions rather than simply analyzing their preferences. It is necessary to investigate what prompts a customer to seek a new solution and to frame this within the broader context of their lives. By recognizing the 'job' the customer is trying to complete, businesses can create solutions that better meet their needs, significantly enhancing their product offerings. If a product helps customers achieve their goals more effectively, it is likely to succeed in the market.
Interview Techniques for Insightful Data Collection
A successful approach to uncovering customer insights includes conducting interviews without predefined questions to allow for organic conversations. This technique helps gather richer data about the motivations behind customer decisions and the context influencing their choices. Exploring the variables impacting customer behavior can lead to a deeper understanding of their desires and needs. The essence lies in collecting diverse stories to identify patterns and develop solutions that align with customer experiences.
The Importance of Prioritization and Understanding Context
Prioritizing product development based on a structured understanding of customer needs and contexts is vital for success. By examining the interrelationships among various features or goals, businesses can identify which components to focus on first. This perspective contrasts with traditional approaches, emphasizing outcome-based priorities, rather than merely following a list of features. Ultimately, innovation should align with the actual problems faced by customers, ensuring that solutions are relevant and impactful.
Have you heard about Jobs to be Done theory? Bob was the one creating it together with Clayton Christensen - who's for many the Father of Disruptive Innovation.
Bob is the Founder and CEO of the Re-wired Group. He has worked on & helped launch more than 3,500 new products so far, is a guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, and started his career by being a mentee of Dr Deming himself - the father of the Toyota Production System.
He’s also the author of several bestselling books, including Learning to Build.
Bob is an absolute legend and I am so grateful he took the time to join me in this insightful conversation. We covered:
* Why 10-12 interviews are enough to uncover patterns
* Jobs to be Done as a way to understand people’s lives
* Why JTBD is not a framework to understand the customers’ functional “jobs” today, but their context and outcomes (the “progress” they want to make)
* Why Bob doesn’t use interview guides
* Changing how you approach competitive analysis and market sizing by seeing the world through a Jobs to be Done lenses
* Why JTBD is such a powerful way to align Product/Design/Engineering, with Marketing and Sales
* How to approach prioritization using interrelationship diagrams
* How to visualize your user research using the Forces of Progress
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