Workshop Exercises: Define
Job Stories
Frame your product as something customers would 'hire' to complete a 'job'
Why: Shift focus from features to addressing customer needs, motivations, pain points, and situations
When: Ideal for early product ideation, refining existing products, or uncovering new opportunities for innovation
Instructions for running this play
- Review business goals (final outcome) and present relevant user research. Separate your findings into three stages:
- Demand. List user goals and constraints that block them from reaching those goals. List events, frustrations, experiences, and other catalysts that created urgency.
- Desired progress. Identify the key benefits customers are looking for and capture how the customer knows they are making progress as progress signals.
- Hiring. List solutions, products, or behaviors users hired, fired, and constidered for their Job To Be Done.
- Frame your customer needs using this template:
Tips to perfect this play
Master and adapt the play to fit your context and needs.
Tip: Reverse job stories
Flip the exercise by asking participants to create "Reverse Job Stories" where they identify situations where the product or service would not be a good fit, helping to identify potential limitations and areas for improvement
Every card deck includes workshop patterns, so your team can put the methods to work in your next session.
Running behavioral design workshops? The Persuasive Patterns Workshop Playbook (PDF) shows you how to design and run them.
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