Jobs to Be Done: Understanding Why Products Win or Fail

Hi, I’m Alexey Fedchenko, Co-Founder of UnitiQ, where we provide Fractional HR Service and On-demand Talent Experts to help businesses scale smarter and faster. With a deep background in product development and engineering, I’ve spent years working alongside innovative teams to create game-changing products and services that leave a lasting impact.

At UnitiQ, we specialize in connecting startups and scale-ups with the expertise they need, whether it’s fractional HR services, talent acquisition, or strategic people solutions. Our mission is to empower companies by delivering cost-effective, tailored support that aligns with their unique goals, helping them build strong teams and drive sustainable growth.

As an entrepreneur and product expert, I’m passionate about helping businesses unlock their full potential by creating products and services that truly resonate with their audiences. From concept to execution, I love diving into the challenges of scalable innovation and finding solutions that make a difference.

Today I would like to share some insights on Jobs to Be Done framework, practical use-cases.

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) Framework: A Practical Overview

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) is a methodology designed to help create highly sought-after products. The core idea is simple: ask “Why?” or “What for?” when considering a product’s purpose. Different target audiences might have different answers, making this approach versatile and customer-centric.

Core Concept of JTBD

The beauty of JTBD lies in understanding the specific situations in which a customer uses a product. For instance:

• A father buys nuts to pair with beer, while a mother and child might buy them to feed squirrels.
• Similarly, a lawn mower company doesn’t have to compete directly with other brands if it introduces grass varieties that don’t require mowing.

JTBD shifts the focus from merely selling products to understanding how customers “hire” them to accomplish a specific job. This idea is even reflected in product names like bread makers or dishwashers.

Real-Life Applications: The Dishwasher

A dishwasher might not be hired just to wash dishes but for several other reasons:

• To clean using cold water when there’s no hot water supply.
• To tackle stains that are hard to scrub by hand.
• To avoid contact with detergents that dry out skin.
• To save water.
• Or even to impress guests with a modern appliance.

Stories That Shaped JTBD

One famous JTBD story is about milkshakes. Customers didn’t buy them for their taste but because they were convenient to hold while driving. Key adjustments like thinner cups for better grip and wider straws for easy sipping made the product more appealing.

Contrast this with a failed product like crumbly chocolate bars, which drivers avoided because crumbs stained their clothes and car seats.

These insights were championed by Clayton Christensen, the leading advocate of JTBD, whose works highlighted such fascinating examples.

Why Do Customers Buy What They Buy?

JTBD teaches us that customers often don’t buy what companies think they’re selling. Instead, they buy solutions to their problems. This approach can help businesses both refine their offerings and identify new growth opportunities.

JTBD vs. Traditional Demographics

Traditional segmentation suggests that the target audience for milkshakes might be children because they love sweet treats. JTBD, however, focuses on situations, where people of all ages and genders could be customers—for example, adults buying milkshakes for breakfast during their commute.

JTBD in B2B: A Controversial Take

In B2B, the distinction between products and services often blurs. All decisions essentially revolve around services, like transforming investments into returns. Corporate clients want vendors to explain how their solutions will generate results.

For example, a company might invest in expensive conference tables or impractical advertising because the decision aligns more with personal preferences (a B2C mindset) than corporate needs.

But in most cases, B2B clients focus on tangible returns - turning $1 into $1.50 or more. Alongside this, they also seek process management support from vendor representatives, like taking charge of bureaucratic or logistical hurdles.

JTBD and Behavioral Patterns

People’s actions often depend on their personal life scenarios or habits:

• A woman might buy inexpensive tights because she’s on a budget, while a man might purchase them as a DIY solution (e.g., melted tights as epoxy substitute).
• Clayton Christensen’s approach, Jobs as Progress, emphasizes how products emotionally help customers move forward (e.g., eating to feel at ease).
• Anthony Ulwick’s Jobs as Activities focuses on immediate practical benefits (e.g., drinking tea to relax).

Both perspectives are valid but depend on the customer’s unique life situation.

Discussing Emotional vs. Practical Frameworks in JTBD (Christensen vs. Ulwick) 

It involves comparing two complementary approaches to understanding why customers "hire" products:

1. Christensen’s Emotional Framework: "Jobs as Progress" Clayton Christensen focuses on the emotional and aspirational motivations behind customer decisions. His framework suggests that people hire products to help them progress to a better emotional or psychological state.
2. Ulwick’s Practical Framework: "Jobs as Activities" - takes a more task-oriented approach, emphasizing the functional outcomes customers seek. His framework treats jobs as specific tasks or activities that a product helps customers accomplish effectively, efficiently, and reliably.

Comparison of the Two Frameworks

How Both Frameworks Work Together

Christensen and Ulwick aren’t competing frameworks—they’re complementary:

• Christensen’s Emotional View is best for designing branding, messaging, and product positioning that resonate deeply with customers.
• Ulwick’s Practical View is crucial for refining the functional features and performance of a product to meet specific tasks.

Why Both Are Necessary

• If a product is only functional but lacks emotional resonance, it may struggle to build loyalty or stand out.
• If a product connects emotionally but fails to perform its practical job, it will lose credibility.

For example, a premium smartwatch may emotionally appeal as a status symbol or a wellness tool (Christensen) while also delivering on practical needs like tracking workouts or monitoring sleep (Ulwick).

Using both approaches ensures you cater to the full spectrum of customer needs, from their heads to their hearts.

Conclusion

A great product manager is like a poet - someone who resonates with audiences beyond the usual readers of poetry. Similarly, JTBD helps businesses create products that fit seamlessly into customers’ lives, meeting their exact needs in unexpected ways.