# JTBD Innovation Process

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


## Table of Contents
1. [Job Hunting: Finding Undiscovered Jobs](#job-hunting-finding-undiscovered-jobs)
2. [Passive vs. Active Job Seeking](#passive-vs-active-job-seeking)
3. [The Job Atlas](#the-job-atlas)
4. [Prototype Testing Through the JTBD Lens](#prototype-testing-through-the-jtbd-lens)
5. [Job Statements: The Right Level of Abstraction](#job-statements-the-right-level-of-abstraction)
6. [From Job to Innovation](#from-job-to-innovation)
7. [Common Innovation Traps](#common-innovation-traps)
8. [Job Discovery Interview Guide](#job-discovery-interview-guide)

---

## 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?" |

---

## 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.

---

## 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

---

## 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?"

---

## 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

---

## 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?"

---

## 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.

---

## 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?"
