How to do jobs-to-be-done

In this section we will discuss the jobs-to-be-done(JTBD) approach, drawing mainly from Anthony Ulwick’s methodology, but also bringing in some other strands of the JTBD approach.

Credit: @ryanancill

Step 1. Work out who the job performer is

We start by defining a group of people that we want to innovate for. We can start with a personal hunch or a strategic decision by a business. Ideally we should base this step on previous research to show where opportunities may lie (such as market segmentation data and industry analysis).

Step 2. Work out what their main job(s) are

Next we need to collect and analyse qualitative data about those job performers. The best method is to carry out semi-structured interviews that focus on their goals and how they currently achieve those goals. However, we can also look for other sources of data such as online reviews or website clickthrough data.

The trick here is to focus your enquiries at the right level, somewhere between aspirations and specific tasks. We are looking for the ‘big job’, the driving goal they are trying to achieve, which emerges from an even higher level ‘aspiration goal’ and is carried out in a variety of different sub-routines and microtasks.

The following diagram shows this hierarchy of goals. We should aim to focus on identifying the big jobs at first, before diving down into the smaller jobs.

Hierarchy of goals

Step 3. Map out the process they use to do this job

We can then use Ulwick’s jobs map to structure our interviews. The jobs map is a universal set of steps which the authors claim lie behind all jobs. The jobs activity should be mapped out along this set of steps.

1. Define the job to be done.
2. Locate the materials and situation to do the job.
3. Prepare to do it by planning.
4. Confirm you are ready before you begin.
5. Execute steps to achieve the goal.
6. Monitor that the correct outcome is occurring.

Whilst doing the job, modify behaviour to improve the outcome,

Conclude by finishing and reflecting.

Credit: @steve_mushero

Step 4. Define the outcomes: Write job statements

At this point, we are in a position to write the jobs statement. A jobs statement is not just a generic statement of customer needs. It follows a particular pattern: Every statement should have a direction of improvement, a unit of measurement and an object of control.

Step 5. Define the needs in relation to the desired outcome

We then return to the jobs process map and reflect on what the customers have been telling us about their needs and problems at each stage of the process. We can then formulate needs statements that correspond to the higher levels jobs statements. For instance, if my job is to increase the number of significant interactions I have with friends, and my customers have told me they have trouble organising where and when to meet, my needs statements might be:

• Make it easier to work out a place to meet
• Help me communicate any changes to the meeting
• Help me communicate with the people I’m meeting

Step 6. Quantify the market / prioritise

Once we have a clear set of needs statements, we can then go to a wider sample group and carry out a survey to ask them to rate these needs by importance.

Usually we ask two questions related to: ‘How satisfied you are you that existing solutions satisfy this need?’ and ‘how important is this need to you?’ The unmet / underserved needs are where we should be focussing our efforts.

Step 7. Prioritise and identify opportunities

The survey data helps us to validate the needs and to prioritise them — to enable us to make decisions about where we spend our time trying to solve the problems.

At this stage we have a clear set of opportunities and we can begin our ideation stage to explore ways to solve those needs.

Credit: @nina_mercado

Conclusion

JTBD is a valuable toolset to be added to the arsenal of any designer or innovative organisation. Its strength is the clear process it offers designers who want to design products and services that bring real world productivity value. Of course, it is not a magic bullet to enable innovation. There is still a need for creative minds to carry out exploratory design work and to find solutions that enable the jobs to get done.

One limitation is that JTBD is very focussed on ‘productivity’. Life is more than the jobs we are trying to get done. We don’t always buy products or use software because they help us do a job. Sometimes, they just satisfy an aesthetic desire, or enable an expression of an ideal view of ourselves.

JTBD is one method among many that a designer should master alongside other innovation methods such as Contextual Design, Design Thinking, Personas and Empathy Mapping, Journey maps and goal-oriented design.