Sprint

JTBD Interviews

Change perspective

2 weeks | remote

Two women smiling and interacting with smartphones while sitting on a gray couch with plants partially framing the scene.

Jobs-to-be-Done interviews are designed to gain insights that will help you find a problem-solution fit for your product. Statistics show that between 70 and 95% of all new products fail. Not least because understanding what customers really want remains an elusive art. It's time to reduce the risk and gain the insights you need to make new feature development more predictable.

Impact

If you look at product design and innovation through the lens of jobs-to-be-done, everything looks different:

The subject of the investigation is no longer the customer or the product. It is the "job" that the customer is trying to do.

Markets are not defined by products. They are defined by groups of people trying to accomplish a task.

Needs are not vague, latent, and unrecognizable. They are the yardstick by which customers measure success in completing a task.

Competitors are not companies that manufacture similar products. They are companies that offer solutions that enable people to do the same job.

Customer segments are not based on demographic or psychographic characteristics. They are based on how differently customers struggle with completing a job.

Systematically create customer value and orchestrate it throughout the organisation.

People strive for progress

We figure out why people interact with your product. We start with the theory that people interact with a product to get a job done. The better we understand that, the better your product can adapt.

A new perspective on the market and your product

Jobs exist in a context and are in a field of tension between desires and forces. With this knowledge, you can develop a coherent product, marketing and sales strategy.

When we buy a product, we essentially hire something to get a job done. If it does the job well, when we are confronted with the same job, we hire that same product again. And if the product does a crummy job, we fire it and look around for something else we might hire to solve the problem.

Clayton M. Christensen

Academic and business professional

How we deliver insights in just 2 weeks to help you tap into new potential.

We derive reliable results from individual experiences. Our research design ensures that we look for recurring patterns, and observe and analyze causal relationships. We invite you to join us live.

Set up a research plan

Together, we define the research objective, develop hypotheses about the jobs, and create criteria profiles for potential interviewees. We help you recruit and set up the infrastructure.

Qualitative research design
Quantitative research design

Conduct interviews

We conduct 6 interviews during a sprint. If you wish, you can be there live and follow a customer's journey from initial idea to using the solution.

6 interviews of 90 minutes
Spectator option depending on software

Evaluate insights

What is the user's context? What is their goal? What tasks and support activities are associated with their path of progress? What positive and negative forces are they encountering? What products or services have they considered to help them progress?

Wheel of Progress
Records

Consolidate jobs

We create a visual map of the jobs your customers are trying to complete. This allows you to track every step of the process. It clarifies and visualizes what your customers are trying to do and what their needs are along the way.

Job Map
Outcome statements

Evaluating opportunities

We feed the qualitative insights gained into an opportunity survey to calculate an "opportunity score" and validate the data quantitatively. This gives you everything you need to take the next steps.

Opportunity Survey
Opportunity Score

Knowing who your users are does NOT mean you know what they need. We’ll change that.

Are we backing the right horse in the electromobility megatrend?

Profile

Client: Yello
Focus: Product Innovation
Activity: Job-to-be-Done Interviews
Date: 2020

Electric car sales were estimated at 182 billion in 2019. By 2026, it is expected to reach 912 billion. The incentive to get a piece of this particularly large pie is huge, and Yello's bet is the Yubee app. But can an electricity and gas company promote itself as an e-mobility pioneer?

Yello asked us to test the value proposition of the Yubee app in order to decide on further investment. To do this, we needed to clarify what the user's job was and how we could help them get there without losing sight of the brand, portfolio and positioning.

The results of the Job-to-be-Done interviews helped to assess risks and opportunities, let go of aspirations and identify new entrepreneurial potential. Shortly thereafter, Yello discontinued development of the Yubee app.

DUMBO helped us shape our idea and design our product. I love working with them because of the focus and expertise they bring to the table. I need a partner who challenges me, who I can talk to about my ideas. and who will tell me what I need to hear even if it’s not what I want to hear. That’s DUMBO.

Henrik Ehrhardt

Product Owner, Yello

Close-up of water droplets being poured and repelled on the surface of dark water-repellent fabric, demonstrating the material's capabilities.

Overhead view of two individuals engaged in a brainstorming session, with one writing on a sticky note, surrounded by workshop materials on a dark table.

A man with a beard, sitting at a black table, attentively writing on a sticky note, with a wall with canvases and a cup of coffee in the background.

A person is adjusting the cuff of their Ryzon branded athletic leggings to ensure a proper fit, demonstrating the garment's snug and tailored design.

A close-up of a person's hands as they write 'Produkt tragen' on a sticky note with a black marker

How does our product get into the shopping cart?

Profile

Client: Ryzon
Focus: Product Experience
Activity: Job-to-be-Done Interviews
Date: 2022

In Ryzon's flagship store, people are close to their customers. You are advised, dressed and involved. They know why they come and go. But that closeness and clarity disappears when we look at the web store. Why do they actually buy? Why not? A question we explore with the help of job-to-be-done interviews.

What looked like a refusal to buy turned out to be a question of reward. Do you want to afford it? Can you afford it? A moment like this after a triathlon weighs heavily. The body is exhausted, the mind is free. This moment deserves a reward. But before you finally make up your mind about those new shorts, doubt sets in. Is it really worth it? And so you make do with the socks for now, until you feel it on your own body. Yes, that's it.

6 months from thought to decision. A single moment that makes all the difference, the test purchase and the goal to be even faster.

Insights like these have helped us optimize communication and marketing, and support the decision-making process with the right offers and features.

Working with DUMBO has not only changed our perspective on the web store, but also our understanding of our customers' jobs and needs. The results are reflected not only in the interaction, but also in the overall image of our brand.  A new level.

Fabian Jung

Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Ryzon