Jtbd innovation process skill

JTBD Innovation Process

Systematic methodology for discovering jobs and translating them into successful innovations.

Table of Contents

1. Job Hunting: Finding Undiscovered Jobs
2. Passive vs. Active Job Seeking
3. The Job Atlas
4. Prototype Testing Through the JTBD Lens
5. Job Statements: The Right Level of Abstraction
6. From Job to Innovation
7. Common Innovation Traps
8. Job Discovery Interview Guide

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Job Hunting: Finding Undiscovered Jobs

Where Jobs Hide

Jobs worth pursuing are often invisible because:

• Customers don't articulate them (they've adapted)
• Existing categories obscure them (you see products, not jobs)
• Data shows behavior, not motivation

Five Sources of Job Discovery

1. Workarounds and Compensating Behaviors

Signal: People combine products, modify them, or create DIY solutions.

What to look for:

• Products used in unintended ways
• Multiple products combined to complete one job
• Time-consuming manual processes
• Spreadsheets and duct-tape solutions

Interview questions:

• "Walk me through how you handle [situation] today"
• "What's frustrating about your current approach?"
• "What have you tried that didn't work?"
• "If you could wave a magic wand, what would change?"

Example: Milkshake study discovered people "hiring" milkshakes for morning commutes—a workaround for boredom and hunger that bananas and bagels couldn't solve.

2. Non-Consumption

Signal: People who should be using a solution but aren't.

Why people don't consume:

Barrier	Example
Too expensive	Can't afford financial advisor
Too complicated	Can't figure out video editing
Too time-consuming	Can't commit to full course
Requires expertise	Can't navigate tax code
Socially unacceptable	Embarrassed to seek help

What to look for:

• Markets that seem "maxed out" but have huge populations not participating
• People who have "given up" on a category
• Simpler alternatives that attract non-users

Interview approach:

• "Have you ever considered [category]? Why or why not?"
• "What would make you try something in this area?"
• "What have you heard about [category] that put you off?"

Example: Southern New Hampshire University found millions of adults who wanted degrees but couldn't attend traditional college—a massive non-consumption opportunity.

3. Negative Emotions

Signal: Frustration, anxiety, fear, or embarrassment around a situation.

Emotions that signal jobs:

• Frustration → Job not being done well
• Anxiety → Risk of job failure
• Embarrassment → Social dimension unmet
• Overwhelm → Job too complex

Interview questions:

• "What's the hardest part about [situation]?"
• "When do you feel frustrated with [current solution]?"
• "Is there anything you avoid or dread?"
• "What keeps you up at night about [area]?"

Example: SNHU discovered adult students' real struggle wasn't academics—it was fear of failure and embarrassment about going back to school.

4. Unusual Uses and Surprising Customers

Signal: Customers using your product in unexpected ways, or unexpected customer segments.

What to investigate:

• Customer segments you didn't target who are buying
• Features used differently than intended
• Complaints that reveal hidden jobs
• Support tickets that reveal actual use cases

Questions to ask:

• "What made you choose us over [expected alternative]?"
• "What were you using before? What was wrong with it?"
• "What job are you really hiring us to do?"

Example: Arm & Hammer discovered baking soda was being "hired" for odor absorption, carpet cleaning, and toothpaste—jobs far beyond baking.

5. Moments of Struggle

Signal: Specific circumstances where existing solutions fail.

The Timeline Interview:

First thought → Passive looking → Active search → Decision → Purchase → Experience

Questions for each stage:

Stage	Questions
First thought	"When did you first realize you needed something? What was happening?"
Passive looking	"What alternatives did you notice? Why did you dismiss them?"
Active search	"What made you start actively looking? What criteria mattered?"
Decision	"What tipped you over the edge to decide? What almost stopped you?"
Experience	"Is it doing what you expected? What surprised you?"

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Passive vs. Active Job Seeking

Passive Seeking

Customer is vaguely aware of a problem but not actively looking for solutions.

Characteristics:

• Haven't allocated budget
• Haven't carved out time
• Open to being educated
• Easier to influence (no preconceptions)

Marketing implications:

• Content marketing to raise awareness
• Focus on problem articulation
• Lower competition for attention

Active Seeking

Customer is actively shopping for a solution.

Characteristics:

• Researching options
• Set budget (often)
• Clear criteria
• Comparing alternatives

Marketing implications:

• More competitive
• Focus on differentiation
• Demonstrate superior job completion

Key insight: The best customers are often passive seekers whose jobs you've awakened. They're not shopping—they're discovering they have a need.

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The Job Atlas

A comprehensive map of a customer's job ecosystem.

Elements of the Atlas

1. Main Job The primary progress the customer wants to make.

2. Related Jobs Adjacent jobs that cluster with the main job.

Example (financial planning):

• Main job: Retire comfortably
• Related: Protect family if I die, fund kids' education, manage taxes

3. Emotional Jobs How they want to feel during and after.

4. Social Jobs How they want to be perceived by others.

5. Consumption Chain Jobs Jobs at each stage of using your product:

Stage	Jobs
Purchase	Find trusted option, feel confident in choice
Setup	Get started quickly, not feel stupid
Use	Accomplish task, save time
Maintain	Keep it working, not waste money
Upgrade	Stay current, not fall behind
Dispose	Get rid of easily, recoup value

Building Your Atlas

1. Interview 10-20 customers using timeline methodology
2. Map all jobs mentioned across interviews
3. Cluster related jobs
4. Identify which jobs are served/underserved
5. Prioritize based on importance and satisfaction gap

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Prototype Testing Through the JTBD Lens

Testing for Job Completion, Not Features

Wrong question: "Do you like this feature?" Right question: "Does this help you accomplish [job]?"

Prototype Testing Framework

1. Simulate the circumstances

Don't test in a vacuum. Recreate the context where the job arises.

• Wrong: "Here's a new budgeting app. What do you think?"
• Right: "Imagine it's the end of the month and you're worried about overspending. Here's what you'd see..."

2. Measure job completion

Metric	What It Shows
Can they complete the job?	Functional adequacy
How long does it take?	Efficiency
How do they feel during?	Emotional dimension
Would they show others?	Social dimension
Would they do it again?	Repeat hire likelihood

3. Test the full experience

Not just the core product—test the entire "hiring" and "using" experience:

• Finding and understanding the product
• Purchasing/signing up
• First use
• Ongoing use
• Moments of difficulty

4. Compare to current "hires"

"Would you fire your current solution for this?"

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Job Statements: The Right Level of Abstraction

Too Narrow

"I want to create a to-do list"

Problem: Focuses on solution, not job. Misses why they want a list.

Too Broad

"I want to feel productive"

Problem: Too vague to build for. Hundreds of solutions could apply.

Just Right

"When I'm overwhelmed with tasks and don't know where to start, I want to see my priorities clearly so I can focus on what matters and feel in control of my day."

The Litmus Test

A good job statement should:

1. Be solution-agnostic (no product names)
2. Include circumstances
3. Include functional, emotional, and social dimensions
4. Be specific enough to build for
5. Be abstract enough to allow innovation

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From Job to Innovation

Step 1: Define the Job Clearly

Use the job statement format:

When _____________ [circumstances]
I want to _____________ [progress]
So I can _____________ [outcome]

Step 2: Map Current "Employees"

What do people currently hire to do this job?

• Direct competitors (same category)
• Indirect competitors (different category, same job)
• Non-consumption (doing nothing)
• DIY/workarounds

Step 3: Identify Performance Gaps

Where do current solutions fall short?

Dimension	Current Solution	Gap
Functional	Mostly works	Takes too long
Emotional	Creates anxiety	Want to feel confident
Social	Embarrassing	Want to look smart

Step 4: Design for the Gap

Build experiences that address unmet dimensions.

Questions:

• How can we do the functional job faster/better/cheaper?
• How can we make the emotional experience better?
• How can we help with the social dimension?

Step 5: Test Against the Job

Return to customers:

• "Does this help you make the progress you wanted?"
• "Would you fire your current solution for this?"
• "What's still missing?"

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Common Innovation Traps

The Feature Factory Trap

Symptom: Shipping features without connecting them to jobs.

Fix: Every feature must answer: "What job does this help complete?"

The Correlation Trap

Symptom: "Our best customers are women 25-34, so let's target them."

Problem: Demographics correlate with jobs but don't explain them.

Fix: Find the job that women 25-34 happen to have, then target anyone with that job.

The Technology-First Trap

Symptom: "We built this cool AI—let's find a use case."

Fix: Start with jobs, then ask if your technology serves them better.

The Competitor-Copying Trap

Symptom: "Competitor added X, so we should too."

Fix: Ask what job X serves. If that's not your customers' priority job, don't copy.

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Job Discovery Interview Guide

Preparation

• Recruit recent purchasers (within 1-2 weeks)
• 45-60 minutes per interview
• Record with permission
• Prepare timeline visualization

Opening (5 min)

"I'd love to understand how you came to use [product]. Not to sell you anything—just to learn about your experience."

First Thought (10 min)

• "When did you first realize you might need something like this?"
• "What was going on in your life at that time?"
• "What triggered that thought?"

Passive Looking (10 min)

• "What did you do after that first thought?"
• "What alternatives did you consider?"
• "Why didn't you act on it right away?"

Active Search (10 min)

• "What made you start seriously looking?"
• "What changed?"
• "What were you comparing?"
• "What criteria mattered most?"

Purchase Moment (10 min)

• "Walk me through the moment you decided to buy."
• "Where were you? Who were you with?"
• "What finally convinced you?"
• "What almost stopped you?"

Experience (10 min)

• "Is it doing what you expected?"
• "What surprised you?"
• "What's still frustrating?"
• "Would you hire it again?"

Closing

• "If you could change one thing, what would it be?"
• "What would make this perfect for your situation?"