Understanding Customer Needs: Jobs to be Done

The process of making decisions about financial aid and course credits, packaged effectively to expedite the process for students and avoid missed opportunities.

Providing consistent and comprehensive support to continuing education and retraining students, addressing their needs throughout the learning process.

The transformative process of redefining value propositions and creating convenient customer experiences to reshape industries and redistribute wealth.

iPod and iTunes store made digital music convenient and accessible, allowing Apple to effectively capture the market and redefine the value in portable entertainment.

The necessity for companies to adapt their business models to stay relevant and maintain growth in today's dynamic environment.

In-depth knowledge of existing business models, including their underlying premises, interdependencies, strengths, limitations and when to leverage the core business, crucial for successful innovation strategies.

Time constraints, need for efficient communication between students and schools, and complexity that make it hard to achieve immediate outcomes.

Segmenting customers based on demographics is not enough as consumers buy based on their needs and jobs. Focusing on the real needs of the target group and not solely demographics.

The fundamental reasons why customers buy a product or service; what they hope to accomplish by using it.

Just because two things happen together (correlation) doesn't mean one causes the other.

A new product or service that initially has lower performance and features than existing products but eventually gains popularity by addressing a new or unmet customer need.

The emotions and sensations the customer feels related to the acquisition and use of a product or service, beyond just function and features.

Identifying what customers want to achieve in a specific situation, including the context/situation.

The circumstances, not just demographics or product features, truly define the customer's job to be done.

Crucial for innovative product design, helping anticipate customer needs and wants.

A price customers are willing to pay when the product or service exceeds their expectations, fulfilling their needs.

Creating and integrating experiences for purchase and use of products that align with the 'job to be done'.

Ensuring all company functions support the customer's 'job to be done'.

Creating products that address customer problems with better solutions, not just existing solutions.

Illustrates how failing to understand the emotional and social aspects of a customer's 'job to be done' can lead to poor sales, despite apparent success in other elements.

Using the 'jobs to be done' framework to redesign online program processes, prioritizing student needs and improving experience.

Specific requirements customers have for a product or service to achieve a specific outcome.

Example of a product that creates an experience around the customer's emotional needs and sense of self.

Lies not just in technology, but in a suitable and powerful business model that incorporates it.

New businesses should expect to adjust their business models multiple times before reaching profitability.

New models require time to develop, even though a focus on profitability is important.

Identifying customer groups isn't absolute but has a higher probability of success.

Customers decide what segment they belong to, not the business.

Customer segments aren't uniform; they have different needs and preferences.

The larger the target group you attract, the more valuable your strategy is.

Successful strategies focus on the gradual decline in value as you move across the customer base.

Existing business models can hinder the development and adoption of new ones.

Existing corporate policies or approaches that hinder innovation.

The acquisition of new skills and knowledge to support a new business model.

Making processes uniform and simple to automate.

Restricting order sizes to standardized volumes for scalability.

Charging for customer service if needed beyond basic services.

Turning specialized products into easily available, basic products.

Outliers might be unconventional today, but their needs and preferences could become mainstream in the future. It is important to research and understand these outlier groups to anticipate future trends and identify opportunities.

Instead of asking general customer questions, focus on specific insights that would inform key decisions needed to create successful offerings.

Employ appropriate methods to gather customer insights based on the nature of the information you seek. Different techniques are suitable for understanding customer actions, past behaviors, potential future actions, and desired product features.

Focus on understanding what customers are doing rather than why they do it. Observe their behavior and identify patterns to inform product development and marketing strategies.

Use questionnaires with simplistic questions to gather large amounts of data about customer demographics, preferences, and awareness in a quantifiable way.

Simple questions may not lead to profound answers. Quantitative methods might not reveal hidden needs, motivations, or potential future preferences.

Interact directly with potential customers to gain insights about their likely reactions to new products or services they haven't experienced yet.

Develop and test progressively more refined prototypes to gather increasingly detailed insights about customer behavior and preferences.

Harness the collective wisdom of a large group of people (the crowd) to generate new ideas for products and services.

Design Thinking helps avoid the mistakes of relying solely on outdated data or making gut-based decisions. It uses design principles to understand customer behavior and inform strategic decisions.

Immerse yourself in the lives of your target customers to understand unmet needs and potential future wants. Don't just ask them about existing products, but observe and ask questions about their behavior.

Develop and test prototypes with actual users to gather feedback and refine your ideas. Conduct quick experiments to see how consumers respond to your offerings.

Identify the resources, capabilities, and activities needed to actually produce, distribute, and sell your product or service.

P&G used design thinking to understand customer needs and create new skincare products that met the needs of a wider customer base, resulting in a successful product launch and increased market share.

The value a company offers to its customers by helping them 'get the job done'. It considers the customer's needs, pain points, and available alternatives.

The equation that determines how a company makes money. It includes revenue model, cost structure, margin model, and resource velocity.

The assets a company needs to deliver its value proposition, such as people, technology, facilities, or brand.

The operational and managerial systems that enable a company to consistently deliver value, like training, manufacturing, or budgeting.

A customer value proposition that perfectly addresses the customer's 'job to be done' without unnecessary features or efforts.

Obstacles that prevent customers from completing a task, such as lack of wealth, access, skill, or time.

Situations or changes that necessitate a company to adapt its business model, like emerging technologies, new customer segments, or competition.

Creating a separate process for developing and launching new products or services without the constraints of the existing core business.

Assessing whether a new business model is compelling, efficient, disruptive, and has the potential for successful execution.

Knowing what customers want to achieve, including the context and emotions involved, is crucial for creating successful products and services.

Customers are willing to pay more for a product or service that exceeds their expectations and delivers exceptional value.