Jobs-to-be-done

The Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) framework is used to understand better what a user wants to achieve while using your product. When done right, you can better prioritize how and when to design specific features.

Updated on December 5th, 2022

Jobs are fundamental tasks that users hope to accomplish when using a product. Let's look at a JTBD example:

"I want to be able to find the best holiday deals, so I can make an informed decision about where to go next."

In general, there are two job types:

Main jobs. These are the primary tasks that users want to accomplish, like purchasing a holiday gift or booking a flight.
Related jobs are tasks users want to achieve in conjunction with main jobs, like creating an account or updating a user profile.

Why is it important?

One of the main advantages of the jobs-to-be-done framework is that users and their needs are put in the first place. However, it only works when users know for sure what they want.

It requires searching for desired and non-desired outcomes for users. JTBD will prevent you from the risk of producing something that people do not want.

How to create a JTBD statement

Now that we know what a jobs-to-be-done statement is, the next step is to create one. Here's how to do that.

Step 1 - Job definitions

To write a good jobs-to-be-done statement, you first have to understand the business goals of your stakeholders and who your users are. Then, you can narrow down all the job statements and potential solutions.

Use other UX research methods such as user interviews, stakeholder interviews, surveys, and workshops to get your initial understanding of the project and what needs to be done.

Step 2 - Write the job statement

Now that you know the requirements and job definitions, it is time to write the actual job statements. Here's how to structure a jobs-to-be-done statement.

I want to [Motivation] when I [Situation/Context - optional], so I [Outcome/Result].

The number of job-to-be-done statements you can write for a project depends on the project scope. For example, large or complex projects generally have more statements.

Step 3 - Add the conditions for each job

The final thing to do for each job statement you create is to add the conditions. You can divide the conditions into the following categories.

Functional conditions for the actual job, like a maximum price, number of clicks, or a way of registering an account.
Emotional conditions for the user experience of completing a specific job. For a UX designer, these are super important to consider.