The Secret Lives of Customers: A Detective Story About Solving the Mystery of Customer Behavior

“We always want to understand the circumstance someone is in when trying to get specific jobs done.

A language that defines what information you’re looking for • A method for discovering, organizing, and interpreting that information • A mindset that maximizes your chances of doing so

the products we love the most are those that match the requirements of our job specs—right down to the smallest details.

“But products can’t cause you to do anything. They are just a means to an end. There are always deeper forces at work that drive behavior. Problems we need to solve, or goals we want to accomplish. I think about these as ‘jobs’ we are trying to get done. And when these jobs arise we look around for the best products or solutions to ‘hire’ to get th

When you look at things through the jobs lens, you usually find your products are just part of a broader experience customers are hiring to get a job done.”

“So the principle could be ‘Sample extremes,’” said Jordan. “At least in the beginning.”

“Data can be immensely powerful—but only if you are looking at the world through the right lens. With the wrong lens, data will just create more confusion. Or worse, it will reinforce a flawed view of reality.”

The same person might hire the same solution for different jobs depending on the circumstance. Or a solution might be great in one circumstance, but terrible in another.

suppose if we can hire products, we can also fire ones that no longer get the job done.”