Jobs to be Done: From Doubter to Believer

People don’t want a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole.

Replace a user story with a job story.

Personas are a collection of attributes. They don’t explain causality. --Clayton Christensen

User story: As a (persona), I want to (action), so that (expected outcome).
Job story: When (situation), I want to (motivation), so I can (expected outcome).

The interview is key. Their goal is to understand peoples’ purchasing decisions.

Motivation: Why customers buy your product.
Situations: Why customers switched from a previous product.
Anxieties: Whether or not customers are struggling with your product.

Think of the interview with the customer in the form of a timeline. You’re looking to understand the chronological order of their decision-making process. You especially want to focus on the first thought, the moment when the customer realized their current solution just isn’t cutting it anymore. In order to do this, you need to talk to the decision-maker.