Customer PsychologyMarketingintermediate

Customer Jobs

The fundamental tasks, problems, or goals that customers are trying to accomplish in a given situation, independent of any particular solution or product.

jobs-to-be-donecustomer-researchinnovationproduct-strategy

Customer jobs represent the progress customers are trying to make in their lives. They can be functional (practical tasks), emotional (how they want to feel), or social (how they want to be perceived). Understanding customer jobs is crucial for innovation because customers 'hire' products and services to get these jobs done.

Key Principles

  • 1Jobs are stable over time, solutions change
  • 2Customers hire products to make progress
  • 3Jobs have functional, emotional, and social dimensions
  • 4Focus on the job, not the product category
  • 5Understand the circumstances that trigger job needs

Examples

Morning Commute Job

Context: Transportation

Get to work on time while staying productive - hired solutions include cars, trains, podcasts, or coffee

Meal Preparation Job

Context: Food

Feed family nutritious food quickly after work - hired solutions include meal kits, takeout, or meal prep services

Stay Informed Job

Context: Professional Development

Keep up with industry trends without information overload - hired solutions include newsletters, podcasts, or curated feeds

How to Apply

  • Identifying innovation opportunities by understanding unmet jobs
  • Positioning products based on the job they help complete
  • Discovering unexpected competitors solving the same job differently
  • Designing features that help customers get jobs done better