JTBD Interviews
You understand the job when you can tell the pain-to-progress story better than the person living it.
Reflective listening is the critical capability. Talk less than 10% of the time.
The Four Moments
Every switch from old solution to new follows the same arc. Your interview maps it.
| Moment | Questions to Ask |
|---|---|
| First Thought | When did you realise something needed to change? How did the problem make you feel? |
| Consideration | What did you try first? Where did you look? What didn't work? |
| Decision | What almost stopped you? Who influenced you? What tipped it? |
| Reality | Did it match expectations? What new problems appeared? |
Rules
- Make them comfortable. They do the talking, you do the listening
- Never lead — "What did you think of X?" not "Did you like X?"
- Mirror back — "What I'm hearing is..." to confirm understanding
- When they request features, redirect — "Walk me through when you'd use that"
- Mark emotional moments. That's where the real job hides
Post-Interview
- Which questions got emotion? Those reveal the real job
- Which got bland answers? Revise or drop them
- What patterns repeat across interviews? That's your signal
Case Studies
- Airbnb — Switching trigger
- Business Banking — B2B job map
- CRM — Enterprise purchase
- Electric Car — Identity job
- Peloton — Aspiration vs reality
Context
- Jobs To Be Done — The framework
- Validate Demand — Awareness and intent levels
- Advertising Industry — Four moments applied to ad buyer switching
- Business Ideas — From interview insights to ventures
- Behavioural Economics — Psychological triggers