Jobs To Be Done 

“Customers don't want a drill, they want a hole in the wall " 

Always, when dealing with product development or a service, the starting point, and above all of arrival, is the customer. 

In the past, the approach to address the needs of the consumer consisted of defining the so-called "Personas Model", that is, invented models of typical customers, based on indicators that unite them by habits, interests, of customers, of customers, etc. The general principle was that, knowing your target audience as much as possible, its actions could be foreseen and thus create the best product / service on the basis of these considerations. 

Which would make sense, but we are sure that in a world like today's, in whom the market is saturated with supply, this approach is really effective? And especially, we are sure that starting from the characteristics of the "personas models" is not actually limiting? 

What has changed from the past

The "Jobs To Be Done" theory, or "work to be done", it is a relatively young method that does not question the peculiarities of customers, but try to understand, precisely, what are the "jobs", that is, the shares, that the latter must carry out to achieve a certain purpose, identifying the critical points that hinder him or slow down the achievement of his goal.

This allows the needs of the consumer to be identified in a clear and targeted way, thus avoiding wasting time and money on useless solutions. 

To better understand how to apply the JTBD theory to your company, the statement ofthe economist Theodore Levitt “Customers don't want a drill, they want a hole in the wall ". 

This quote easily helps us to understand how much the focus shouldn't be on the development of the drill, or the product, but the real problem: make a hole in the wall, maybe in the shortest time possible or without getting too dirty and reducing the risk of getting hurt!  

Customer needs, once identified, they pave the way for disruptive strategies and the creation of innovative products / services.

This is why it is essential adopt methods that help receive customer information and feedback, in order to offer them the best possible offer. 

In summary, the "Jobs To Be Done" lead to one new perspective on the product, on the user and also on the competition. In practical application, this approach can be combined well with methods such as those of design thinking oriented to the creation of targeted solutions to the problems or needs highlighted.