What are jobs to be done?
Jobs To Be Done is a theory that examines the relationship between a customer or user and the items they utilize to fulfill essential tasks in their lives. Consumers and businesses purchase things to satisfy their needs. Whether to prepare meals, look fashionable, or sell their brand through automated email marketing campaigns.
Tony Ulwick introduced the Jobs to be Done framework in 1991, and it has been in use ever since. Ulwick is the founder of Strategyn, a consulting firm that specializes in innovation. He is also the author of the ground-breaking book Jobs to Be Done: Theory to Practice.
Many organizations have found success with their products due to the strategy’s incorporation of the Jobs to be Done paradigm (also known as Outcome-Driven Innovation) into its advisory services. For example, when working with Cordis Corporation, a company that develops medical devices, Strategyn was the first to use the Jobs to be Done framework.
Given that the company planned to modify its angioplasty balloons line, it was indeed down to the wire in terms of innovation — and did in-depth user research to determine the results they wished to achieve. The result was that Cordis Corporation launched 19 successful products in 1993, increasing its market share by almost 20% overall.
Since then, various product teams have used the Jobs to be Done theory, some of which have made a significant difference in people’s lives, such as Cordis Corporation, and others used daily, such as apps and websites.
Importance Of Jobs To Be Done
Goals fluctuate from one product category to another, and various circumstances can influence buying decisions, including age, money, location, occupation, and other factors. Developing a more profound knowledge of users’ challenges and motivations to offer more effective solutions is a critical component of the Jobs to be Done idea.
Advantages Of Employing The Jobs To Be Done Theory
Jobs to be Done can help product teams obtain significant insight into their users’ motivations and maximize a product’s competitive advantage by utilizing the Jobs to be Done framework. Designers and developers can create items specifically designed to perform the task that clients are trying to complete for them.
Essentially, the emphasis is less on the product itself and more on the goals that users want to achieve with the product.
The formula is not difficult to understand and has a wide range of applications. If the return on investment (ROI) is positive, the investment is likely to be profitable. These indications can assist investors in removing or picking the best options if other possibilities with higher ROIs are available. Negative ROI, suggesting a net loss, should be avoided.
How To Implement Jobs To Be Done
More than just an attractive design and a competitive price are required to create a successful product. It is about realizing what the product can accomplish for clients, why treating their pain points is so vital, and how you can achieve the best possible outcome through the use of the product.
Suppose a startup with a restricted budget seeks to “employ” an email marketing automation platform to reduce the amount of time they now spend manually sending lead generation emails to their target audience. Their company is expanding, and they have many customers, making automation necessary to complete the ‘task’ efficiently.
This expertise would be helpful to a product development team developing an email marketing automation platform to ensure that their solution streamlines customer communications. However, more research and analysis may reveal that target users are searching for more than simply a time-saving solution to be successful. They would like to design customized email campaigns that would help them build long-term partnerships, drive traffic to their website, and increase conversions.
The ultimate goal would be to save time and assist the company in growing and succeeding in the years to come.
Bear in mind: There is no such thing as a job to be done that can be found or generated on its own. Instead, it’s planned. Customers can use the checklist of intriguing questions, such as “Have you ever longed to wear an ankle bracelet?” to imagine (or design) what new I would emerge when they use Revlon’s goods. Then there’s Dorian Leigh’s portrait. Consumers continue to imagine a new version of themselves after viewing it. For some, the new me is similar to her. For others, she is the new me. In any case, if this new me is something I desire, I begin to crave it. To put it another way, I have a job to do.
