Jobs-To-Be-Done Vs. Design Thinking

Both theories are focused on building products that focus on what customers might want. The jobs-to-be-done focuses more on potential customers’ pain points of potential customers; design thinking focuses on delivering prototypes with a human-centered approach. A jobs-to-be-done can be plugged into a design thinking approach to develop more effective products.

Aspect	Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD)	Design Thinking
Definition	JTBD is a framework that focuses on understanding the functional and emotional needs and goals that customers aim to achieve. It emphasizes the job customers hire a product or service to do.	Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that involves empathy, ideation, and prototyping to create innovative solutions that meet users’ needs.
Origin	Developed by Clayton Christensen and his colleagues at Harvard Business School.	Evolved from various design methodologies and practices, with contributions from designers, engineers, and business strategists.
Primary Focus	The primary focus is on identifying and addressing the specific jobs or tasks customers are trying to accomplish.	The primary focus is on understanding user needs and generating creative solutions to complex problems.
Process	JTBD follows a systematic process, including job mapping, customer interviews, and solution development based on identified jobs.	Design Thinking follows a five-stage process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, which is iterative and user-centric.
Customer-Centricity	JTBD is customer-centric, as it aims to uncover what motivates customers to “hire” a product or service and addresses their unmet needs.	Design Thinking places a strong emphasis on empathy, ensuring that solutions are deeply rooted in an understanding of users’ perspectives.
Problem Framing	JTBD starts with defining the problem by understanding the “job” customers are struggling to complete.	Design Thinking encourages framing problems broadly and exploring multiple problem definitions to uncover innovative solutions.
Ideation and Prototyping	While ideation is part of the JTBD process, it is not as structured as in Design Thinking. Prototyping may not be as prominent.	Design Thinking places significant importance on ideation and prototyping to explore a wide range of creative solutions.
Iterative Approach	JTBD can be iterative, but its primary goal is to identify the core job that customers need to be done, which may not change significantly over time.	Design Thinking is inherently iterative, with continuous refinement and improvement of ideas and prototypes.
Tools and Techniques	JTBD may use tools like job maps and customer interviews to gather insights.	Design Thinking employs a variety of tools, including empathy maps, journey maps, brainstorming sessions, and rapid prototyping.
Applicability	JTBD is widely used in product development and marketing to create products and services that better align with customer needs.	Design Thinking is applied not only to product design but also to various fields, including service design and organizational change.
Success Metrics	JTBD success is often measured by the extent to which a product or service effectively addresses customers’ unmet needs.	Design Thinking success is measured by the degree to which innovative solutions meet users’ needs and solve complex problems.
Industries	JTBD is applicable to various industries, especially those that involve consumer products and services.	Design Thinking has a broader application, spanning industries from technology and healthcare to education and social innovation.
Cultural Impact	JTBD may not always lead to significant cultural transformation within organizations.	Design Thinking often promotes a culture of innovation, empathy, and collaboration, leading to broader cultural shifts.

Table of Contents

Similarities between Jobs-to-be-Done and Design Thinking:

Customer-Centric Approach: Both frameworks are customer-centric and focus on understanding the needs and desires of potential customers.
Product Development: They both aim to build products that meet customers’ needs and solve their problems effectively.
Innovation: Jobs-to-be-Done and Design Thinking are both used as frameworks to drive innovation and develop better products.
Human-Centered: Both approaches prioritize understanding and addressing human needs, whether in terms of pain points (JTBD) or human-centered innovation (Design Thinking).

Differences between Jobs-to-be-Done and Design Thinking:

Focus:
- Jobs-to-be-Done focuses on identifying and categorizing consumer needs by understanding the “jobs” customers want to get done.
- Design Thinking emphasizes a human-centered approach to innovation, integrating the needs of people, technological possibilities, and business requirements.
Problem vs. Solution:
- Jobs-to-be-Done is more focused on understanding the problem or need from the customer’s perspective.
- Design Thinking aims to generate and prototype solutions through a creative and iterative process.
Customer Pain Points vs. Ideation:
- Jobs-to-be-Done focuses on identifying pain points and challenges customers face while trying to accomplish a specific job or task.
- Design Thinking emphasizes the ideation and creation of innovative solutions to address customer needs and challenges.
Framework Structure:
- Jobs-to-be-Done organizes consumer needs around the concept of “jobs” and how products fulfill those jobs.
- Design Thinking follows a human-centered design process with various stages, such as empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
Time Frame:
- Jobs-to-be-Done is an ongoing framework that endures indefinitely, as it revolves around understanding and meeting long-lasting consumer needs.
- Design Thinking is a dynamic and iterative process that is applied to specific projects or challenges to create innovative solutions.
Application:
- Jobs-to-be-Done is often used to identify market opportunities and develop products that cater to customers’ unmet needs.
- Design Thinking is applied in various fields, including product design, service design, and problem-solving across different industries.
Originators:
- The Jobs-to-be-Done framework was popularized by Tony Ulwick, who detailed it in his book “Jobs To Be Done: Theory to Practice.”
- Design Thinking was defined and promoted by Tim Brown, Executive Chair of IDEO, as a human-centered approach to innovation.

Related Frameworks, Models, Concepts	Description	When to Apply
Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD)	– A framework that focuses on understanding the specific tasks customers are trying to accomplish when they “hire” a product or service. It helps in identifying customer needs based on the jobs they are trying to do.	– Ideal for product development and innovation processes where understanding the core needs of customers is crucial for creating successful solutions.
Design Thinking	– A non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involves five phases: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.	– Suitable for complex problem-solving where a deep understanding of the user experience and iterative testing of solutions are required.
Lean Startup	– A methodology for developing businesses and products that aims to shorten product development cycles and rapidly discover if a proposed business model is viable. This is achieved through a combination of business-hypothesis-driven experimentation, iterative product releases, and validated learning.	– Applied in startup environments or new product development within larger companies to efficiently validate product concepts and business models.
Agile Development	– A method of software development that emphasizes continuous iteration of development and testing in the software development lifecycle process. It involves collaborative decision-making between requirements and solutions teams.	– Useful in software development and other project areas that benefit from flexible responses to change and iterative progress.
Customer Journey Mapping	– A visual representation of the process a customer or prospect goes through to achieve a goal with a company. By mapping out these journeys, companies can understand and address components negatively affecting the customer experience.	– Employed to enhance customer interaction with a product or service, ideal for identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Value Proposition Design	– A process where businesses align their products to the true requirements of their customers. It helps innovate, improve, and create value for both the company and its customers.	– Suitable for refining products and services to better meet the needs of customers, thereby improving customer satisfaction and business performance.
Service Design	– A multi-disciplinary approach to improving service quality and the interaction between the service provider and its customers.	– Necessary in sectors where the quality of customer service is a key differentiator.
Innovation Accounting	– A method of evaluating progress when all the metrics typically used in an established company (like revenue and customers) are effectively zero. It is used to assess the effectiveness of a company’s business model in the face of uncertainty.	– Applied in new ventures or product launches within larger companies to measure progress where traditional metrics may not yet apply.
Blueprinting	– Used in service design to describe and detail every aspect of the service interaction, specifying all the actions that are visible to the customer and invisible ones that happen behind the scenes.	– Useful for services that require detailed process analysis and refinement, often used to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction.
Experience Prototyping	– A technique used in the design process to prototype the service experience in order to test and develop it by understanding the interactions between people, places, and objects.	– Employed in the development of new services or products where the user experience is critical, allowing designers to explore how users will interact with their designs in real-world settings.