Hello Reader,

Most people think the job of a toothbrush is to clean their teeth. But if you studied what people do, you might discover something else: some rinse or sanitize their brush every time. That behavior isn’t about plaque—it’s about reassurance, about feeling clean and safe. Unless you ask the right questions and observe the job behind the job, you’d miss it entirely.

That gap, the one between what we assume and what people need, is exactly what Jobs to Be Done helps reveal. While the toothbrush example is hypothetical, it shows how a little curiosity and observation can unlock powerful insights into unmet needs.

Jobs to Be Done is a way of understanding customer behavior through the lens of progress: what is someone trying to accomplish, and how can your product help them get there? The “job” isn’t the product—it’s the underlying need or outcome they’ve hired it to solve.

That’s why this model is part of Re:Mind, our deck of 100 mental models for better thinking. We hit $8.5K on Kickstarter and unlocked both stretch goals—thank you. If you missed it, late pledges are still open.

Why Use It

People don’t buy products. They hire them to do a job. That shift in thinking reframes innovation from building features to solving meaningful problems. Use this model to:

• Understand real user needs beyond surface behaviors
• Build products or services that create true customer progress
• Spot where existing tools are overbuilt or underperforming

When to Use It

Use this model when you’re trying to understand not just what people are doing, but why they’re doing it. Jobs to Be Done helps uncover motivations that traditional metrics or interviews often miss.

Use this model when:

• You’re scoping a new feature or offering
• Sales or marketing feels misaligned with how people talk about their needs
• You’re hearing customer feedback that seems contradictory

How to Use It

In The Founder, Ray Kroc realizes McDonald’s isn’t just selling burgers; it’s selling speed, consistency, and a dependable experience. Customers aren’t hiring food; they’re hiring a fast, frictionless routine in the middle of a chaotic day. That insight leads to the systemization and scaling of one of the most iconic service models in the world. That’s Jobs to Be Done thinking: uncovering the real progress people are trying to make.

Here’s how to apply it:

• Interview around outcomes: Ask what people were trying to solve, not what they wanted to buy.
• Find the progress narrative: What transformation are they seeking—before vs. after?
• Design around context: A product used on the go has a different job than one used in deep focus. Match the form to the function.

Next Steps

List 3 reasons someone might use your product or service—then challenge them. Are they features, or outcomes? Rewrite each one as a job: “Help me __ so I can __.”

Where It Came From

The theory originated with Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, who popularized it as a way to understand innovation beyond traditional demographics. It gained traction when researchers studied why people bought milkshakes in the morning (hint: it wasn’t about taste—it was about a quiet commute ritual). Since then, it’s been used to drive customer-centric innovation in industries from tech to healthcare.

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Until next time, keep exploring and questioning. Your unique perspective is your greatest asset.

Think Independently, JC

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