Week 1
Jobs-to-be-done (JBTD)
A “job” is the progress a person seeks in a particular circumstance.
People hire products or services to get a job done and will switch solutions if
another does the job better.
Circumstances matter more than customer traits or product categories.
Jobs have functional, emotional, and social dimensions (e.g., body wash:
clean → confident → attractive).
Many important needs are latent—unspoken, unconscious, or hard to
articulate.
Advantages of JTBD
Shifts focus to customer goals, not products.
Reveals true competitors across categories.
Offers predictive power because it is solution-free and long-term.
Takeaways
JTBD emphasizes understanding the why behind customer actions.
It helps define success metrics that remain stable over time.
The goal is to identify the right problem before creating a solution.
Even great products need a clear job to fulfill—they won’t sell themselves.
Decision Making
DMU (Decision Making Unit): All the people involved in a purchase decision
(e.g., users, buyers, influencers).
o Example: In pet food, the dog uses the product, but the owner
purchases it.
DMP (Decision Making Process): The stages leading to a purchase.
o Trigger: What starts the process (e.g., wanting to feel fresh → buy
coffee).
o Attributes: Key factors that influence choice (e.g., coffee’s taste and
price).
AIDA Funnel
Stages customers move through:
Awareness/Attention (know) – Becoming aware of a product.
Interest (feel) – Developing curiosity or attraction.
Desire (feel) – Wanting the product.
Action (do) – Making the purchase.
o For monopolies (e.g., EpiPen), the funnel may be a straight line because
there are no alternatives.
,Cross-model
High involvement
Utilitarian ego. Expressive
Low involvement
Porsche sits in the top-right
Opel in the bottom-left
Being positioned in the very centre of the cross-model isn’t ideal because it means
you’re trying to serve everyone without a clear focus. This weakens your brand
identity and competitive advantage.
“Dueling with Desire: A Synthesis of Past Research on
Want/Should Conflict” (Bitterly et al., 2014)
This paper reviews research on the tension between short-term desires (wants)
and long-term interests (shoulds), and how to encourage more future-oriented
choices.
Core Ideas of Want/Should Conflict:
Wants provide immediate pleasure but lower future value.
Shoulds require effort now but offer greater long-term benefits.
Overindulging in wants leads to issues like obesity, procrastination, and under-
saving.
Cognitive Mechanisms
Multiple Selves: An internal struggle between a hedonic “want self” and a
future-oriented “should self.”
Two-Systems Model:
o System 1 (intuitive/emotional) favors wants.
o System 2 (rational/reflective) favors shoulds but can be weakened by
cognitive load.
Construal Level Theory: When choices are distant or abstract, people are
more likely to choose the should option. When choices are immediate or
concrete, the short-term costs become more salient, so want options win out.
Limited Self-Regulation (Ego Depletion): Self-control can be depleted,
making people more prone to want choices.
Factors Influencing Choices
Time Perspective: People pick shoulds for distant choices but wants for near-
term ones (quasi-hyperbolic discounting).
Cognitive Load and Fatigue: Reduce self-control and favor wants.
, Mood: Positive moods can promote future-oriented thinking; negative moods
can increase short-term focus.
Licensing Effect: Previous good behavior can “justify” indulgence.
Future Self Connection & Fresh Starts: A stronger link to one’s future self
or temporal milestones (e.g., birthdays, New Year) encourages should
behavior.
Interventions (Nudges)
1. Planning Prompts: Making specific plans (when, where, how) increases
follow-through (e.g., vaccinations).
2. Commitment Devices: Self-imposed restrictions or penalties (e.g.,
stickK.com, restrictive savings accounts) help reduce procrastination and bad
habits.
3. Temptation Bundling: Pair a should with a want (e.g., only listening to a
favorite audiobook while exercising).
Jobs-to-be-done (JBTD)
A “job” is the progress a person seeks in a particular circumstance.
People hire products or services to get a job done and will switch solutions if
another does the job better.
Circumstances matter more than customer traits or product categories.
Jobs have functional, emotional, and social dimensions (e.g., body wash:
clean → confident → attractive).
Many important needs are latent—unspoken, unconscious, or hard to
articulate.
Advantages of JTBD
Shifts focus to customer goals, not products.
Reveals true competitors across categories.
Offers predictive power because it is solution-free and long-term.
Takeaways
JTBD emphasizes understanding the why behind customer actions.
It helps define success metrics that remain stable over time.
The goal is to identify the right problem before creating a solution.
Even great products need a clear job to fulfill—they won’t sell themselves.
Decision Making
DMU (Decision Making Unit): All the people involved in a purchase decision
(e.g., users, buyers, influencers).
o Example: In pet food, the dog uses the product, but the owner
purchases it.
DMP (Decision Making Process): The stages leading to a purchase.
o Trigger: What starts the process (e.g., wanting to feel fresh → buy
coffee).
o Attributes: Key factors that influence choice (e.g., coffee’s taste and
price).
AIDA Funnel
Stages customers move through:
Awareness/Attention (know) – Becoming aware of a product.
Interest (feel) – Developing curiosity or attraction.
Desire (feel) – Wanting the product.
Action (do) – Making the purchase.
o For monopolies (e.g., EpiPen), the funnel may be a straight line because
there are no alternatives.
,Cross-model
High involvement
Utilitarian ego. Expressive
Low involvement
Porsche sits in the top-right
Opel in the bottom-left
Being positioned in the very centre of the cross-model isn’t ideal because it means
you’re trying to serve everyone without a clear focus. This weakens your brand
identity and competitive advantage.
“Dueling with Desire: A Synthesis of Past Research on
Want/Should Conflict” (Bitterly et al., 2014)
This paper reviews research on the tension between short-term desires (wants)
and long-term interests (shoulds), and how to encourage more future-oriented
choices.
Core Ideas of Want/Should Conflict:
Wants provide immediate pleasure but lower future value.
Shoulds require effort now but offer greater long-term benefits.
Overindulging in wants leads to issues like obesity, procrastination, and under-
saving.
Cognitive Mechanisms
Multiple Selves: An internal struggle between a hedonic “want self” and a
future-oriented “should self.”
Two-Systems Model:
o System 1 (intuitive/emotional) favors wants.
o System 2 (rational/reflective) favors shoulds but can be weakened by
cognitive load.
Construal Level Theory: When choices are distant or abstract, people are
more likely to choose the should option. When choices are immediate or
concrete, the short-term costs become more salient, so want options win out.
Limited Self-Regulation (Ego Depletion): Self-control can be depleted,
making people more prone to want choices.
Factors Influencing Choices
Time Perspective: People pick shoulds for distant choices but wants for near-
term ones (quasi-hyperbolic discounting).
Cognitive Load and Fatigue: Reduce self-control and favor wants.
, Mood: Positive moods can promote future-oriented thinking; negative moods
can increase short-term focus.
Licensing Effect: Previous good behavior can “justify” indulgence.
Future Self Connection & Fresh Starts: A stronger link to one’s future self
or temporal milestones (e.g., birthdays, New Year) encourages should
behavior.
Interventions (Nudges)
1. Planning Prompts: Making specific plans (when, where, how) increases
follow-through (e.g., vaccinations).
2. Commitment Devices: Self-imposed restrictions or penalties (e.g.,
stickK.com, restrictive savings accounts) help reduce procrastination and bad
habits.
3. Temptation Bundling: Pair a should with a want (e.g., only listening to a
favorite audiobook while exercising).
