Jobs To Be Done
Discover what customers truly need by analyzing the "job" they hire your product to do.
Install
npx skills add wondelai/skills --skill jobs-to-be-done -g -a claude-code -y- Repository
- wondelai/skills2.6k
- Category
- Design
- Updated
- 2mo ago
- License
- MIT
- Context cost
- Mediumabout 3,000 tokens
- Runs scripts
- No, instructions only
What it does
Discover what customers truly need by analyzing the "job" they hire your product to do. Use when the user mentions "customer discovery", "why customers churn", "what job does this solve", "competing against luck", "product-market fit", "switching behavior", "milkshake moment", or "functional vs emotional jobs". Also trigger when investigating why users choose competitors, designing features around real customer needs, or reframing a value proposition. Covers JTBD interviews, competition analysis, and jobs-oriented roadmaps. For product positioning, see obviously-awesome. For rapid validation, see design-sprint. For non-leading interview technique, see mom-test.
Jobs to Be Done Framework
Framework for discovering innovation based on a fundamental truth: customers don't buy products -- they "hire" them to do a specific job in their lives.
Core Principle
Job to Be Done = the progress a customer wants to make in specific circumstances.
Key elements of the definition:
- Progress (not goal, not solution) -- the customer wants to move from the current state to a better one
- Circumstances -- context determines the job, not customer attributes (demographics are useless)
- Hiring/Firing -- the customer actively chooses a product for the "job"
Scoring
Goal: 10/10. Score 1 point per satisfied row in the Quick Diagnostic (7 rows) plus up to 3 points for depth: +1 if all three job dimensions are evidenced, +1 if the job statement avoids any product/solution name, +1 if competition includes non-consumption. Bands: 9-10 = job stated without the product, all four forces mapped, three dimensions evidenced, non-obvious competition and Little Hire tracked; 5-6 = job named but one or two diagnostic rows fail (usually missing forces or emotional/social dimensions); <=3 = product-first framing, demographic segmentation, or Pull-only thinking. Always state the current score and the specific diagnostic rows to fix.
Three Dimensions of Every Job
Every job has three inseparable dimensions -- omitting any means failure:
| Dimension | Question | Example (milkshake) |
|---|---|---|
| Functional | What does the customer need to do? | Occupy myself during a boring commute |
| Emotional | How do they want to feel? | Have a small treat for myself |
| Social | How do they want to be perceived? | As a sensible parent (not buying donuts) |
Framework
1. The Job Statement
Core concept: A job statement captures the progress a customer seeks in a specific circumstance, in a structured format separating context, desired progress, and expected outcome.
