What it is
A framework that describes needs as the progress a person wants in a situation, independent of any solution, paired with interviews that reconstruct the circumstances behind a choice to adopt or switch. It frames findings; it is not a study design.
Why use it
Describing needs as jobs separates the problem from today's solution, opens the team to alternatives, and gives findings a consistent unit for comparison.
Use this when
- The team is anchored on a solution and needs a solution-independent view
- You want to know why people adopt, switch, or abandon a product or workaround
- Findings are a list of requests to organize by underlying goal
- Alternatives include non-products, such as manual processes
You may not need this when
- The need is already well understood and agreed
- The scope refines an existing interaction rather than deciding what to build
- You cannot reach people who recently made the choice
Dependencies — what you need
- People who recently made, or considered, the choice
- Skill in reconstructing circumstances and alternatives
- A consistent job-statement format
People involved
- Design
- Research
- Product
Typical outputs
- Job statements: situation, motivation, desired outcome
- Alternatives used today, including non-products
- Triggers and obstacles to adopting or switching
- Possibly underserved jobs, with evidence, as candidate opportunities
Template
Jobs to Be Done template
A fill-in structure for running this method: what to prepare, what to do, what to record, and how to read the result.
How AI can help
AI as augmentation — not replacement
- Draft interview questions about the circumstances behind a decision
- Suggest job statements from notes, for the team to test against quotes
- Flag statements that describe a solution, not a need
- Group related jobs across interviews with their evidence
AI prompt
A prompt for any AI assistant. It works only from material you paste in, keeps assumptions apart from findings, and leaves the decisions to you.