Learn Bob Moesta's process to determine your customer's JTBD
Fraser Deans
Founder, Insight Pipeline
Last updated
4th March 2024
Jobs To Be Done for Product Discovery
Discovery Your Job To Be Done
Bob Moesta, a pioneer in the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework, has developed a distinctive approach to conducting customer interviews. This method is designed to uncover the deeper motivations and decision-making processes of customers. By adopting Moesta's interview techniques, you can gain profound insights into the "jobs" your customers need to accomplish. Here’s how you can apply Moesta's format to enrich your product discovery:
Finding Customers to Interview
Choosing the right people to talk to is crucial. Focus on individuals who are not just interested but also willing to spend money on solving the problem your product addresses. Ideally, these should be customers who have already purchased from you or opted for a competing product. Such individuals can take you through their entire journey—from the initial realization of their need, through the decision-making process, to the purchase and actual use of the solution. Their stories are goldmines of information, offering valuable insights that can help you enhance your product, streamline the buying experience, and refine your marketing strategies. Engaging and learning from their experiences can be the key to unlocking significant improvements for your business.
Setting the Stage for Insightful Discovery
Embrace the Mindset: Understanding Moesta's approach begins with embracing the mindset that customers "hire" products to do jobs. Your aim is to discover what these jobs are.
Prepare with Purpose: Define clear objectives for what you wish to uncover about your customers' jobs. Familiarize yourself with Moesta's focus on the "Forces of Progress," which includes pushing and pulling forces, along with anxieties and habits.
Crafting Product Discovery Questions in Moesta's Style
JTBD customer interviews focus on past user behaviour. What actually happened? Interviewers pull out actions, emotions and conversations that the customer experienced. This is in contrast to focusing on ideal behaviour.
Start with the Timeline: Moesta emphasizes the importance of reconstructing the customer's decision-making timeline. Begin your interview by asking about the first time the customer realized they needed a solution. "Tell me about the day you decided X needed to change."
Dig into the Decision Process: Progress through the timeline by exploring how the customer evaluated different options. "What alternatives did you consider?" This line of questioning reveals the competing forces at play.
Understand the Struggle: Moesta’s interviews delve into the struggle of making the decision. Ask about the trade-offs they considered and the doubts they had. "What was the hardest part of your decision?"
Identify the Moment of Commitment: Pinpoint the moment the customer committed to the solution. "What was the tipping point for you?" This can reveal the most critical job the customer hired your product to do.
Executing the Interview with Moesta's Techniques
Create an Empathetic Environment: Ensure the customer feels understood and valued throughout the interview. Moesta’s approach relies heavily on building a connection that encourages sharing.
Use Active Listening: Reflect back what you hear and ask for elaboration. This not only confirms understanding but also prompts deeper insights.
Capture the Emotional and Social Jobs: Beyond functional tasks, explore the emotional and social dimensions of the customer's job. "How did making this change make you feel?" or "How do you think this choice affects how others see you?"
Analyzing Customer Interview
Look for Patterns of Progress: After conducting interviews, analyze them for patterns that indicate why customers make progress. This involves moving from an unsatisfactory situation to a better one, through your product.
Map Out the Forces of Progress: Use insights from interviews to map out the pushing and pulling forces, alongside anxieties and habits, for each job identified. This comprehensive view can guide product development and marketing strategies.
Iterate and Validate: Use subsequent interviews to refine your understanding of the identified jobs and the forces at play. This iterative validation ensures a precise alignment of your product with customer needs.
Bob Moesta Peloton Customer Interview Example
Moesta has shared examples of him conducting and analysing JTBD customer interviews. Watch the video below of him interviewing a Peloton customer about her buying journey.
Understanding Why They Buy
By incorporating Bob Moesta's JTBD interview techniques, you can uncover the nuanced jobs customers are hiring your product to accomplish. This method not only provides a deeper understanding of customer motivations but also equips you with actionable insights to drive continuous innovation. Applying Moesta's approach to your product discovery efforts can transform your ability to create solutions that genuinely resonate with your target audience, ensuring your product's success in meeting the real needs of your customers.