Research methods to uncover and unlock value - for both people & brands.

Jobs-to-be-Done

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) is a powerful, human-centred framework that helps brands Create, Launch, and Grow compelling propositions, products, and experiences. At Waveform, it’s a crucial tool that we use to uncover and deliver actionable insights that drive success for the brands we support.

In this guide, we explore the research methods and frameworks that we would typically use to discover and activate Jobs-to-be-Done.

Jobs-to-be-Done is a framework that empowers brands to create highly valued products & services - those that would be missed if they didn’t exist.

A QUICK REMINDER ABOUT JOBS-TO-BE-DONE (JTBD).

A Job-to-be-Done is the underlying motivation or goal that shapes peoples’ needs and decision-making - it’s what they seek to accomplish in a given situation.

  • An Economic model of human progress.

  • Born out of Harvard Business School.

  • Used by today’s most human-centred brands.

  • Supports the discovery of fresh powerful insights

  • Unlocks human-centred growth opportunities

  • Unifies strategies for product, marketing & UX/CX.

New products succeed not because of the features and functionality they offer but because of the experiences they enable
— CLAYTON CHRISTENSEN, AUTHOR 'DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION' (d. 2020)

Want more information on Jobs-to-be-Done and its applications?
Read our article on ‘Applications of Jobs to be Done’ here.

FROM INSIGHTS TO ACTION

Discover and activate Jobs-to-be-Done.

Identifying Jobs-to-be-Done insights and turning these into strategies is both science and art - requiring both creative research solutions and systematic analysis processes.

From exploratory diary studies to quantitative segmentation surveys, and frameworks like the Value Proposition Canvas and Switching Forces, we break down the methods that we often use to uncover, segment, prioritise and activate Jobs to be Done.

The key stages in activating Jobs to be Done.

Unlocking the full potential of Jobs-to-be-Done requires a structured approach, with distinct research phases guiding each step. However, brands don’t need to tackle everything at once - each stage provides valuable insights that can drive meaningful impact.

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Jobs to be Done Discovery

Identify audience goals within a broad category - uncovering why and when they matter most.

JTBD opportunities

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Determine which Jobs are most important and assess how well they are currently served by the market.

Audiences & territories

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Segment the market based on distinctive priority Jobs, creating clear audience groups to guide strategy.

Growth & Retention

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Analyse switching forces and pain points to understand how to become the preferred brand for a given Job.

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Performance Measurement

Benchmark and track brand performance against priority Jobs to strengthen your offer / beat competitors.

Below we explore the research methods and frameworks we would recommend for each stage. Whilst you don’t have to do it this way, we have found over numerous Jobs to be Done projects that this approach is highly insightful, impactful and efficient to deliver.

Discover the research methods and frameworks we use for each stage.

Discover Jobs to be Done.

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RECOMMENDED APPROACH:
MODERATED DIARY STUDIES + FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS

Research methods for Jobs to be Done discovery:

The first step in integrating Jobs-to-be-Done is to identify and understand the Jobs of your audience within a broad product or service category - uncovering why they matter, when they arise, and what drives demand. Expect to lots of jobs and then need to collate these into 20-30 key themes.

This requires an exploratory, context-rich qualitative approach with a diverse sample, ensuring a deep understanding of audiences’ Jobs, the surrounding context, and the underlying motivations that inspire meaningful innovation.

BE
CONTEXTUAL

No focus groups! In the moment and in-situ methods like mobile ethnographic diaries are best for JTBD insight.

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20+
PARTICIPANTS

Qualitative research at scale is needed to uncover the full-breath of JTBD that exist in most markets.

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REMOTE +
MODERATED

Use mobile diary solutions that provide both spontaneous in-situ sharing and research moderation.

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KEEP IT REAL
& RELEVANT

Focus on real buying journeys and brand switching goals to surface JTBD. Don’t talk about Jobs!

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ANALYICS & FRAMEWORKS TO USE:

5Ws & H (Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?): This probing technique helps explore peoples’ bigger Jobs in a holistic, contextual way, uncovering the full spectrum of related Functional, Emotional, and Social Jobs that drive behaviour. It can be integrated into diary study moderation or used in optional follow-up interviews to further refine understanding.

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JTBD opportunities

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RECOMMENDED:
AUDIENCE SURVEY + MAXDIFF + OUTCOME DRIVEN INNOVATION

Research methods for finding JTBD opportunities:

Once the Jobs to be Done have been uncovered, the next step is to quantify their reach and significance. Robust quantitative research is needed to determine both the absolute (reach) and relative importance (impact) of different Jobs, revealing which ones have the greatest influence on brand choice, decision-making, and long-term loyalty.

By measuring how frequently Jobs arise, how critical they are, and where unmet needs exist, brands can prioritise the most valuable opportunities.

ROBUST
DATA

Reliable quant data is essential to confidently identify JTBD that matter most to choice (from the original 20-30).

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CURRENT &
POTENTIAL USERS

Include current and potential users to find the JTBDs that matter for acquisition audiences vs. retention audiences.

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MEASURE
REACH & PRIORITY

Measure both absolute and relative importance of each JTBD to discover the reach and impact on audience choices.

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FIND UNDERSERVED
JOBS IN THE MARKET

Assess satisfaction with fulfilling each JTBD to identify gaps in the market that could be points of differentiation.

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ANALYICS & FRAMEWORKS TO USE:

MaxDiff. A trade-off methodology that can be used to measure the relative importance of different Jobs to be Done by asking participants iteratively which Jobs from a selection are Most or Least important to their choices. Find out how many times more or less Job 1 is vs Job 2, etc.

Outcome Driven Innovation (ODI). A quantitative analysis technique that focuses on understanding the relationship between importance and satisfaction with different Jobs-to-be-Done in order to find which are important but underserved, i.e. an opportunity.

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Audiences & territories

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RECOMMENDED:
JTBD CLUSTERS & 1-2-1 INTERVIEWS

Research methods for finding JTBD brand territories:

Not all customers prioritise the same Jobs in the same way. Segmenting audiences based on which Jobs matter most (or least) to them helps brands create distinctive territories for strategy, messaging, and product development.

By grouping people according to shared needs, motivations, and decision drivers, brands can develop JTBD-based territories and personas—ensuring deeper empathy, sharper positioning, and more effective activation across product innovation, marketing and experience design.

SEGMENT
ON JTBD

Audience clusters built on JTBD priority data deliver segments with distinctive priorities that drive their choices.

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STRATEGY
NOT TARGETING

Segments on Jobs not demographics or behaviour - the goal is human-centred strategies not targeting.

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CREATE SEGMENT PERSONAS

Building segment personas based on real people, who prioritise the relevant JTBD, will build empathy and insight.

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CONDUCT PERSONA INTERVIEWS

Inform personas with profiling and interviews with 3-4 people who share priority JTBD with each of the segments.

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ANALYICS & FRAMEWORKS TO USE:

MaxDiff clusters: Many of the JTBD you find might be considered important but what matters is how important they are relative to other things. Cluster analysis based on relative data helps create distinctive clusters based on the things that really drive people’s choices.

Empathy Mapping: This technique helps bring JTBD-based personas to life by capturing how different audience segments think, feel, see, hear, and do when trying to complete a Job - deepening understanding of motivations, pain points, and decision-making triggers.

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Growth & Retention

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RECOMMENDED:
1-2-1 SWITCHING INTERVIEWS & QUANTITATIVE SURVEYS

Research methods for JTBD growth & retention strategies.

Understanding how audiences currently navigate their journeys to complete key Jobs is essential for driving growth and retention. Through in-depth qualitative research, brands can map out the push and pull forces that influence decision-making—identifying what encourages adoption and what creates friction or hesitation.

By addressing these barriers and amplifying the factors that drive preference, brands can develop more effective acquisition, engagement, and loyalty strategies. This could either be done standalone or tagged on to the Persona Interviews.

IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS

Use 1-2-1 interviews’ to unpack role of JTBD in brand choice and loyalty (can be done via Persona interviews).

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SWITCHING INTERVIEWS

Explore the ‘Switching Forces’ that influence a person's decision to ‘hire’ a new solution to complete their JTBD.

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ASSESS PRODUCT-MARKET-FIT

Explore how well your proposition & experience align to their customer JTBD and the experiences they value.

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QUANTIFY
FORCES

Quantitative research will identify which of the forces (and potential interventions) will have the greatest impact.

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ANALYICS & FRAMEWORKS TO USE:

Switching Forces Model: This approach, created by Bob Moesta, reveals what drives or prevents people from adopting a new solution. It examines the push of the current situation, pull of a new solution, anxieties about switching, and habit of the status quo. It helps brands reduce friction, overcome resistance, and strengthen appeal.

Value Proposition Canvas: This model helps ensure product-market fit by aligning a brand’s offer with the Jobs, pains, and gains that matter most to audiences. It identifies gaps in current solutions and where brands can add value - sharpening positioning, messaging, and innovation.

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Performance Measurement

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RECOMMENDED:
BRAND EXPERIENCE AUDIT / TRACKING SURVEYS

Research methods for JTBD Performance Measurement

With priority Jobs-to-be-Done identified, the final (though ongoing) step is to assess how well the market - your brand and competitors - meets these needs and where gaps exist. Benchmarking industry performance and evaluating how effectively brands help customers achieve outcomes over time reveals opportunities for differentiation.

Measuring your brand’s performance against key Jobs drives improvement, refines propositions, enhances experience, and sustains a competitive edge.

CREATE JTBD INDICATORS

Incorporate JTBD as Customer Performance Indicators in your brand and CX tracking programmes.

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BENCHMARK & TRACK

Regular surveys with your target audiences can show how well your brand is performing vs. the outcomes sought. 

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MONITOR COMPETITION

Find out which brands would be considered and chosen first to deliver on the different priority JTBD.

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DEEP-DIVE UNDERSERVED JTBD

Deep dive into Jobs / CPIs where you fail to deliver or compete effectively - find ways to enhance offer.

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ANALYICS & FRAMEWORKS TO USE:

Customer Performance Indicators (CPIs). Measure success based on what matters most to customers rather than internal business KPIs. Informed by Jobs-to-be-Done, CPIs track how well a brand helps customers achieve their desired outcomes. They can provide a clearer benchmark for competitive differentiation and continuous improvement - aligning performance metrics with real customer priorities to drive stronger retention, loyalty, and growth.

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Want to know more about how we research and activate Jobs-to-be-Done?

Have a project to discuss? Want to know more about our approach? We’d love to hear from you.