Building better products with Job-to-be-Done
Job-to-be-Done is a product lens which profoundly shifted how I think about building products. Popularised by Clay Christensen, Job-to-be-Done is based on the idea that consumers hire products to accomplish tasks. JTBD emphasises analysis of these tasks (jobs) that consumers have, rather than just observing the characteristics of target consumers. Understanding these jobs gives you a clearer picture of how to improve products, and how to make them resonate with users.
When I first discovered JTBD, it immediately clicked with the model of design proposed by Christopher Alexander in his book 'Notes on the Synthesis of Form'. In that book, Alexander posits:
"Successful design is the result of good fit between context and form"
Designing and building great products means understanding the context people will use the product in, and designing a form (product) which fits that context exactly. JTBD's focus on 'jobs' is essentially a focus on context.
In this presentation, I give an introduction to JTBD and offer some advice on how it can be used in product development.