When Coffee and Kale Compete: Become great at making products people will buy

What was going on in their lives? Find pulls by asking about their opinions about other products they investigated. Why did they choose product X or product Y? What was wrong with product Y? What did X have that Y didn’t?

It all comes down to four points: (1) all customers want to make progress within the systems they belong to; (2) customers, producers, innovators, and products are all parts of a system; (3) understanding the system comes from studying the interdependencies between the parts, not from studying the parts; and (4) each system is complex and one of a

I struggled with innovation for many years. I finally made progress when I focused on two things: The desire every customer has to improve themselves and their life-situations. How customers imagine their lives being better when they have the right solution.

Customers experience two kinds of pulls: (1) an idea of a better life and (2) a preference for a particular product.

Create marketing and advertising materials that tell customers that you understand their struggle for progress, that help them visualize how life will be better when they have the right solution, and that explain why your product is the right solution.

People change only when circumstances push them to be unhappy with the way things are. These pushes can be external or internal.

I also admire Justin’s skill in understanding the idea of delivering ongoing progress to customers. He looks ahead and anticipates the struggles his customers will face. He thought, After I help customers maintain their motivation to launch their businesses, what will they struggle with next?

Upgrade your user, not your product. Don’t build better cameras—build better photographers.

It’s not something that consumers have; it’s something consumers participate in. That’s why it’s called a Job to be Done.

Discover the customers’ JTBD by focusing on what doesn’t change. Before you make anything, have a clear picture in your mind of what customers will stop doing.