Progress defines value; contrast reveals value. See how easily you can answer this question: “Which food do you most prefer: steak or pizza?” Many people find this difficult to answer. An easier question might be, “When do you prefer steak, and when do you prefer pizza?”[20]

Ask yourself, “From which budget will my product take away money?” Create better marketing material by speaking to your customers’ JTBD. Focus on delivering emotional progress (getting a Job Done). Don’t focus solely on functionality.

You do not help customers make progress by optimizing parts of the system of progress individually. You improve the system by optimizing how those parts work together. For example, a mediocre product that customers know about, can buy, and can use will beat out a perfect product that customers don’t know about, can’t buy, or can’t use.

When I interview potential customers, I look for evidence of a struggle. I’m looking for an energy to tap into. That’s how I know a struggling moment exists and that there’s an opportunity to create something. If a group of people is not struggling—if I can’t feel that energy—then there’s probably no opportunity there.

Job theory starts with the premise that we, as humans, always want to improve our various life-situations in a variety of ways.

When customers start using a solution for a JTBD, they stop using something else.

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.

A Job to be Done is the process a consumer goes through whenever she aims to transform her existing life-situation into a preferred one, but cannot because there are constraints that stop her.

Grow your business by unlocking new aspirations and offering products for them. Justin