Jobs to be Done Template (JTBD Theory)
This is a jobs to be done template that depicts basic JTBD theory.
A popular but inefficient way to approach product innovation is to create products that customers buy to solve problems, without fully understanding the problem. This is known as the “ideas-first” or “problem space” approach to innovation. A perfect example of this is the Motorola Iridium Satellite phone.
Click here to read more about the Motorola Iridium Satellite Phone.
Motorola created a phone for a market that did not exist. The problem which the Motorola Iridium helped customers solve was not worth the $3000 price tag and $5 a minute talk time in 1999. The cost to develop this failed product and its supporting infrastructure would later cause Motorola to default on $1.5 billion of debt. This is the result of approaching innovation with an idea first, without understanding the customer's needs. This "ideas-first" approach to innovation is high risk and has a high likelihood of failure.
JTBD theory reduces risk and minimizes the likelihood of failure by taking a “needs-first” or “solution space” approach to innovation, where understanding the problem customers are trying to solve comes before generating ideas. A perfect example of a brand that took this approach is Warby Parker.
Click here to read more about Warby Parker.
Warby Parker started in 2010 by first understanding the needs of customers when purchasing glasses. They then delivered value to those needs, which were not appropriately satisfied by the competition. These needs included:
Reducing the time it takes to purchase glasses.
Reducing the cost of purchasing glasses.
Warby Parker offered customers a solution that addressed needs no other eyewear provider addressed, allowing them to achieve a disruptive position in a market previously monopolized by Luxottica. In 2021, Warby Parker launched its IPO on the NYSE with a company valuation of $4.5 billion (Forbes). This growth in only eleven years is the result of approaching innovation by understanding customer needs before generating ideas.
This article is intended to explain the basic idea of JTBD theory and its benefits. More in depth content on JTBD theory is linked below.
