TL;DR:
- Use situation-behavior-outcome questions to uncover real customer motivations
- Focus on specific past events, not hypothetical scenarios or general preferences
- Synthesize insights using job story templates and progress-making forces
- Track patterns across 8-12 interviews before drawing conclusions
- Avoid leading questions and solution-focused discussions
Table of contents
- Context and why it matters in 2025
- Step-by-step playbook
- Templates and examples
- Metrics to track
- Common mistakes and how to fix them
- FAQ
- Further reading
- Why CraftUp helps
Context and why it matters in 2025
Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) interviews reveal why customers hire your product to make progress in their lives. Unlike traditional user research that asks what people want, JTBD interviews uncover the underlying forces that drive purchase and usage decisions.
The framework matters more in 2025 because product teams face increasing pressure to ship faster while maintaining product-market fit. Generic user feedback leads to feature bloat and confused positioning. JTBD interviews help you understand the progress customers seek, the obstacles they face, and the emotional and social factors that influence their choices.
Success means gathering insights that directly inform product strategy, feature prioritization, and messaging. You know JTBD interviews work when they reveal unexpected motivations that reshape your product roadmap and improve customer retention.
Many teams struggle with vague interview questions that generate surface-level insights. The key lies in asking about specific past situations where customers made progress, then synthesizing patterns across multiple interviews to identify the core job your product performs.
Step-by-step playbook
Step 1: Identify interview candidates
Goal: Find customers who recently experienced the job your product addresses.
Actions:
- Contact customers who signed up or made a purchase within the last 30-90 days
- Look for users who switched from a competitor or alternative solution
- Target customers who had a clear before-and-after experience with your product
- Aim for 8-12 interviews to identify meaningful patterns
Example: A project management tool targets customers who recently switched from spreadsheets or started using the product after a project failure with their previous system.
Pitfall: Interviewing long-term customers who cannot recall their original motivation or decision-making process.
Definition of done: Confirmed interviews scheduled with customers who can describe a specific situation where they needed to make progress and chose your product.
Step 2: Structure the interview flow
Goal: Create a conversation that moves from context to specific behaviors to outcomes.
Actions:
- Start with timeline questions to establish context
- Focus on one specific situation where they used your product
- Explore the forces that pushed them away from their old solution
- Understand what pulled them toward your product
- Investigate anxieties and habits that created resistance
Example: Instead of asking "Why do you like our app?" ask "Tell me about the last time you felt frustrated with how you were managing your projects before you found our tool."
Pitfall: Jumping straight into product feedback without understanding the broader context of their situation.
Definition of done: Interview guide that follows the timeline of their experience from problem awareness to solution adoption.
Step 3: Ask situation-specific questions
Goal: Uncover the circumstances that triggered their need for progress.
Actions:
- Focus on a specific day or event when they realized they needed a solution
- Explore who else was involved in the situation
- Understand the constraints and pressures they faced
- Identify what they tried before finding your product
Example: "Walk me through the specific project where you realized your current system wasn't working. What happened that day?"
Pitfall: Accepting general answers like "I needed better organization" without drilling into specific situations.
Definition of done: Clear picture of the circumstances, people, and pressures present when they needed to make progress.
Step 4: Explore emotional and social dimensions
Goal: Understand the functional, emotional, and social aspects of the job.
Actions:
- Ask how they felt during the struggle with their old solution
- Explore what success would mean to them and others
- Understand the social consequences of failing to make progress
- Identify the emotional rewards of achieving their goal
Example: "How did you feel when your team couldn't find the latest project files? What would have happened if this continued?"
Pitfall: Focusing only on functional benefits while ignoring emotional and social motivations.
Definition of done: Understanding of how the customer wanted to feel and be perceived by others when making progress.
Step 5: Map the decision journey
Goal: Trace their path from problem awareness to choosing your solution.
Actions:
- Document their timeline from first noticing the problem to purchase
- Identify all alternatives they considered
- Understand what nearly stopped them from choosing your product
- Explore what finally convinced them to move forward
Example: "What other solutions did you look at? What almost made you stick with your spreadsheet approach?"
Pitfall: Assuming a linear decision process instead of exploring the back-and-forth nature of most purchase decisions.
Definition of done: Complete timeline showing decision points, alternatives considered, and forces that influenced their final choice.
Step 6: Synthesize insights across interviews
Goal: Identify patterns that reveal the core job customers hire your product to perform.
Actions:
- Create job stories for each interview using the "When I [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome]" format
- Group similar situations and motivations across interviews
- Identify common emotional and social dimensions
- Map the typical forces that push customers away from alternatives and pull them toward your solution
Example: After 10 interviews, you discover that customers hire your project management tool when they feel embarrassed about missing deadlines in front of clients, not just for better organization.
Pitfall: Drawing conclusions from individual interviews instead of looking for patterns across multiple conversations.
Definition of done: Clear job stories and force maps that represent common patterns across your interview set.
Templates and examples
# JTBD Interview Script Template
## Opening (5 minutes)
"I'm trying to understand how [product category] fits into people's lives. I'd like to hear about your experience, specifically the time period when you were looking for a solution like ours."
## Context Setting (10 minutes)
- "Tell me about your situation around the time you started looking for [product category]"
- "What was going on in your work/life that made this important?"
- "Who else was involved or affected by this situation?"
## Situation Deep Dive (15 minutes)
- "Walk me through a specific day/project/moment when you realized your current approach wasn't working"
- "What had you tried before that point?"
- "How did you feel when [specific struggle] happened?"
- "What would have happened if you couldn't solve this?"
## Decision Journey (15 minutes)
- "How did you go about looking for solutions?"
- "What other options did you consider?"
- "What almost stopped you from making a change?"
- "What finally convinced you to move forward with [your product]?"
## Outcome Exploration (10 minutes)
- "How has your situation changed since using [product]?"
- "What does success look like for you now?"
- "How do you feel about [relevant situation] now compared to before?"
## Closing (5 minutes)
- "Is there anything else about your experience that would help me understand your situation better?"
Metrics to track
Interview Quality Score
Formula: (Specific situations uncovered + Emotional dimensions identified + Decision timeline completeness) / 3 Instrumentation: Score each interview 1-5 on specificity, emotional depth, and timeline clarity Example range: Aim for 3.5+ average across your interview set
Pattern Emergence Rate
Formula: Number of recurring themes / Total number of interviews conducted Instrumentation: Track when the same job stories or forces appear across interviews Example range: Strong patterns typically emerge after 6-8 interviews
Insight Actionability Index
Formula: (Product decisions influenced + Feature changes made + Messaging updates) / Total insights generated Instrumentation: Track which insights lead to concrete product or strategy changes Example range: 20-40% of insights should drive specific actions
Customer Motivation Clarity
Formula: Percentage of interviews where you can clearly articulate the customer's job-to-be-done Instrumentation: Rate each interview on whether you understand why they hired your product Example range: Target 80%+ clarity rate across interviews
Timeline Completeness
Formula: Interviews with complete decision journey / Total interviews Instrumentation: Check if you captured problem awareness, evaluation, and decision phases Example range: Aim for 90%+ complete timelines
Force Identification Rate
Formula: Average number of push/pull forces identified per interview Instrumentation: Count functional, emotional, and social forces in each conversation Example range: 4-8 forces per interview indicates good depth
Common mistakes and how to fix them
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Asking hypothetical questions like "What would make you switch?" Fix: Focus on specific past events and actual behavior patterns.
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Leading customers toward your preferred answers Fix: Use open-ended questions and Customer Interviews With AI: Scripts to Reduce Bias techniques to minimize interviewer bias.
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Stopping at surface-level functional benefits Fix: Always ask "How did that make you feel?" and "What would others think if this didn't work?"
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Interviewing only happy customers Fix: Include customers who churned or chose competitors to understand why your product wasn't hired.
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Drawing conclusions from 2-3 interviews Fix: Complete at least 8-12 interviews before identifying patterns and making product decisions.
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Focusing on product features instead of progress Fix: Keep redirecting to the situation and outcome, not the specific tools or features used.
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Accepting vague timeline descriptions Fix: Pin down specific dates, events, and triggers that moved them through their decision journey.
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Ignoring the social and emotional job dimensions Fix: Always explore how they wanted to feel and be perceived when making progress.
FAQ
What makes JTBD interview questions different from regular user research? JTBD interview questions focus on specific past situations where customers made progress, rather than general preferences or future desires. They explore the forces that drive behavior change, not just feature satisfaction.
How many JTBD interviews do I need to conduct before drawing conclusions? Conduct 8-12 interviews minimum. Patterns typically emerge after 6-8 interviews, but you need additional conversations to validate those patterns and ensure you haven't missed important segments.
Should I interview customers who chose competitors instead of my product? Yes, these interviews reveal why your product wasn't hired for the job. They help you understand the forces working against your solution and identify opportunities to reduce friction or anxiety.
How do I avoid leading customers with my JTBD interview questions? Start with open-ended timeline questions and let customers tell their story chronologically. Avoid mentioning specific features or benefits until they bring them up naturally.
What's the difference between functional, emotional, and social job dimensions? Functional jobs are the practical progress customers want to make. Emotional jobs are how they want to feel. Social jobs are how they want to be perceived by others. All three influence hiring decisions.
Further reading
- Jobs to Be Done: Theory to Practice - Comprehensive framework from the creators of JTBD methodology
- Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen - Practical application of JTBD theory for product innovation
- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick - Essential techniques for conducting customer interviews that reveal truth
- When Coffee and Kale Compete by Alan Klement - Modern take on JTBD with practical examples for product teams
Why CraftUp helps
Learning to conduct effective JTBD interviews requires practice with real frameworks and continuous skill development.
- 5-minute daily lessons for busy people who need to master customer research while shipping products
- AI-powered, up-to-date workflows PMs need including interview scripts, synthesis templates, and insight tracking methods
- Mobile-first, practical exercises to apply immediately so you can improve your interview technique with each customer conversation
Start free on CraftUp to build a consistent product habit: https://craftuplearn.com
