What is more important: implementing innovations faster or capturing a larger share of the market? How closely are research costs related to a company's profit growth? There are no definitive answers to these questions. But it is very important for any company to listen to the customer and establish communication with consumers.
The JTBD methodology offers a unique view of the product creation process, focusing on the tasks that clients are striving to solve, rather than simply on the desired characteristics of goods or services.
I Want to Save Money on Purchases
This is a quite understandable desire, present in most buyers. The worldwide-known and commercially successful digital implementation of this idea appeared only in the autumn of 2015, when Chinese businessman Huang Zheng launched the Pinduoduo platform for group purchases.
This platform combines elements of social networks and online trading, allowing users to make purchases together with friends and family to receive significant discounts. Such attention to existing and — most importantly — ignored user needs (jobs) allowed the company to achieve explosive growth: FMCG spending in China fell 0.9% year-on-year in Q3 2023, but in the same quarter Pinduoduo recorded a jump in transaction revenues of 314% to nearly $4 billion, representing annual growth of 90%.
I Want to Make My Everyday Life Simpler
The Strategyn blog emphasizes that it is precisely the use of the JTBD approach that allows Apple's products to remain popular and avoid implementing unnecessary functions for clients.
In 2007, the company launched the iPhone, creating the smartphone market. Internet communicators existed before, but the iPhone performed related jobs best: typing text for email on its screen is much more convenient than on QWERTY keyboards with small keys.
The AI being developed by Apple will even understand what is happening on your smartphone screen. For example, when the user is browsing a website and decides to call a store, it will be enough to say to Siri: "Call this store." The assistant will read the screen content, identify the store's phone number, and make the call. Apple comes to the AI market much later than OpenAI — but it also came to the PC and mobile phone market at late stages and then achieved tremendous success.
Conclusion
Jobs to be Done is a powerful tool that helps see beyond the obvious and explore the deep needs of customers. By applying this approach, companies can not only improve their existing products and services, but also discover new directions for innovation and growth. Successful products are those that best correspond to the real "jobs" that customers are trying to perform.
