Is "Jobs to be Done" more theatre - if we don't understand behavior change?
I keep seeing more and more teams talk about and use the Jobs to be Done framework, but how many combine it with a deep understanding of behavior?
Let me take this paper from Clayton Christiansens on HBR to illustrate the point":
1. A “Job” is shorthand for what an individual really seeks to accomplish in a given circumstance"
2. "The circumstances are more important than customer characteristics, product attributes, new technologies, or trends" - which translates into making sure that the context is accounted for - a core principle of working with behavior change.
3. "Good innovations solve problems that formerly had only inadequate solutions or no solution." - If people lack capability or if they lack resources there is no way they can be motivated to engage with products or services - hence why we need to be detailed about the levers we have for change, so solutions are engaged with.
4. "Jobs are never simply about function..they have powerful social and emotional dimensions". - This one is very important, and one that most practitioners only scratch the surface on, or get confused with.
If you don't know how to tell the differences and look at the nuances, you will be addressing the wrong barriers and build the wrong solutions.
The article goes on to say “A deep understanding of a job allows you to innovate without guessing what trade-offs your customers are willing to make” - but if you aren’t systematic and evidence-based - then even if you identified influences with your jobs to be done, you would still be guessing what your solution should be.
This is why I truly advocate the combination of Human-Centered Design + Behavioral Science and Systems Thinking - it is how our agency delivers every project we work on, and how you should approach your work in 2025.
Most teams already have the ability, talent, and know-how to design amazing experiences (or have someone help them), but without a deep understanding of behavior - we will continue to half fulfill our customers, users, and employees, waste money, resources and time, and be back at square one.