Scan method: WATCH
You might watch your customers and look for clues about their jobs to be done.
Is there a way you can watch your customer go through the process you're trying to improve on, or interact with the current 'status quo' solution to the problem you're trying to solve?
​See if you can watch a few customers and see what patterns emerge.
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Watch out for... workarounds
Workarounds: where customers are working around a shortfall in the existing status quo or solution.
Heinz noticed customers storing tomato sauce bottles upside down in the fridge. There was a shortfall with their old bottle design where sauce got stuck at the bottom when the bottle was nearly empty, so customers were coming up with their own solution. The job to be done was to make it easier to get all sauce out of the bottle so they started designing bottles with caps on the bottom!
Watch out for... adaptations
Adaptations: where customers are adapting something to meet a need that isn't being well met.
Website developers frequently watch customers as they interact with new websites to see where they get stuck and confused. When they see evidence of that frustration (usually because the customer simply gives up!), they can swoop in and make an improvement to better meet the customers JTBD of 'finding what I'm looking for really easily'!
Watch out for... surprises
Surprises: where customers are doing something really unexpected.
When we were investigating kids' JTBD with Starlight TV we noticed that a lot of kids call up to request a movie, but then don't actually watch the movie. This was surprising! When we spoke to kids about it we found that they just liked talking to Captain Starlight and getting their name up on the screen, but were watching movies elsewhere. We realised we can solve the JTBD of connecting with Captains, and feeling recognised in loads of different ways, not just through movies!