taewoongheo/jtbd

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)

Based on Clayton Christensen + Bob Moesta. Core principle: "People don't buy products, they hire them to make progress in their lives."

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1. Define the Job

A job is NOT a feature or solution. It's the progress the customer wants to make.

When [situation],
I want to [motivation],
So I can [expected outcome].

Three Layers

| Layer | Question | Example | |-------|----------|---------| | Functional | What task needs to get done? | "Track daily spending without effort" | | Emotional | What feeling do they want? | "Feel in control of my finances" | | Social | How do they want to be perceived? | "Be seen as responsible with money" |

Anti-pattern: Only listing functional jobs. Emotional/social jobs often drive adoption more than functional ones.

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2. Forces Analysis (Moesta)

Four forces determine whether someone switches to a new solution:

╔══════════════════════════════════════╗
║  PUSH (current pains)    → switch   ║
║  PULL (new benefits)     → switch   ║
║  ANXIETY (fear of new)   ← stay     ║
║  HABIT (inertia)         ← stay     ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════╝

Switch happens when PUSH + PULL > ANXIETY + HABIT.

Template

## Push (Problems with Current)
- [Current pain / frustration]

## Pull (Attraction to New)
- [Desired benefit / outcome]

## Anxiety (Hesitations)
- "What if [worry]?"

## Habit (Inertia)
- [Current habit / switching cost]

## Design Response
- Reduce anxiety: [how]
- Overcome habit: [how]
- Amplify pull: [how]

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3. Pains & Gains

Pains

• Challenges: Obstacles preventing job completion
• Costliness: What takes too much time/effort
• Mistakes: Frequent preventable errors
• Unresolved: Gaps in current solutions

Gains

• Expectations: What would exceed current solutions
• Savings: Time/effort reductions that delight
• Life improvement: How the solution makes life better

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4. Validation Checks

• [ ] Job is verb-driven and solution-agnostic ("communicate with team" not "use Slack")
• [ ] Specific, not generic ("track daily spending" not "manage finances")
• [ ] Emotional/social jobs identified, not just functional
• [ ] Pains ranked by intensity (acute vs. mild)
• [ ] Forces diagram completed — switch motivation is clear
• [ ] Based on real signals (reviews, forums, interviews), not assumptions

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5. Common Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Symptom | Fix | |---------|---------|-----| | Feature as job | "I need AI analytics" | Ask "Why?" 5 times to reach the real job | | Too generic | "Be more productive" | Get specific: which tasks, for whom, when | | Ignoring emotions | Only functional jobs listed | Ask "How would solving this make you feel?" | | No evidence | Filling template from assumptions | Check App Store reviews, Reddit, communities |

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References

• Clayton Christensen, Competing Against Luck (2016)
• Bob Moesta, Demand-Side Sales 101 (2020)
• Alexander Osterwalder, Value Proposition Canvas (2014)
• Source: deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills, menkesu/awesome-pm-skills