With so much competition, developing a winning product and bringing it to market in 2022 can seem nearly impossible. Even for those who do, it is likely that they will be surpassed by their competition very quickly unless they continuously innovate. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that creating an innovative, trend-setting product is only going to become more difficult in the years to come. The good news is, there is a way to give yourself an edge over the competition.
Using Jobs-to-Be-Done in Product Development
The key to creating a winning product in 2022 is to focus on jobs-to-be-done. The jobs-to-be-done methodology is a customer-centric approach that focuses on understanding the problem that the customer is trying to solve. This is in contrast to the traditional approach of focusing on features and benefits, which is often driven by what the company wants to sell.
The reason focusing on features does not work is that customers do not buy products, they buy solutions to their problems. By understanding the job that the customer is trying to get done, you can develop a product that meets their needs and exceeds their expectations.
When you focus on jobs-to-be-done, you are able to develop a deep understanding of your customer’s needs. This understanding allows you to create a product that is truly differentiated from the competition. You can also develop a clear vision for your product and how it will meet the specific needs of your customers.
Examples of Jobs-to-Be-Done
The jobs-to-be-done methodology has been used by some of the most successful companies in the world, including Apple, Amazon, and Uber. Let’s take a closer look at how each of these companies used jobs-to-be-done to develop their winning products.
Apple
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. He quickly realized that Apple needed to focus on developing products that solved customers’ problems. Jobs famously said, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backward to the technology.”
Jobs understood that customers didn’t want a computer, they wanted to be able to do their jobs better. This led Apple to develop products like the iPod, which allowed users to easily carry their music with them, and the iPhone, which revolutionized the way we communicate.
Amazon
When Amazon was founded in 1994, it was nothing more than an online bookstore. However, Jeff Bezos had a vision for Amazon to be much more than that. He understood that customers didn’t just want to buy books, they wanted to be able to buy anything they wanted with the same convenience that they could buy books from Amazon with.
This vision led Amazon to develop the Kindle, which allowed customers to easily purchase and read books electronically. It also led them to create Amazon Prime, which offers free two-day shipping on millions of items.
Uber
Uber was founded in 2009 with the mission of “making transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone.” This mission is an example of a job-to-be-done. Uber understood that customers didn’t just want a ride, they wanted to be able to get where they were going reliably and without having to worry about the details.
This understanding led Uber to develop a number of innovative features, including the ability to request a ride with just a few taps on your phone and receive an estimate of how much your ride will cost before you even get in the car.
Outcome-Driven Innovation and Jobs-to-Be-Done
The reason these companies continue to be so successful is that they each have a clear understanding of how their customers want to use their products. They have also been able to sustain their success by continuously innovating and adding new features that solve customers’ problems.
When a customer uses their products, they understand that there are desired outcomes that they are trying to achieve. Building a product that achieves these as effectively as possible is what we call outcome-driven innovation.
It’s important to note that not every feature a company develops needs to be an innovation. In fact, most features are just refinements of existing features or slight variations on a theme. However, the key is that these features need to solve customers’ problems better.
For more information on outcome-driven innovation, click here: https://strategyn.com/outcome-driven-innovation-process/
When you focus on jobs-to-be-done, you are able to develop a deep understanding of your customer’s needs. This understanding allows you to create a product that is truly differentiated from the competition. You can also develop a clear vision for your product and how it will meet the specific needs of your customers.
If you want to create a winning product in 2022, focus on using jobs-to-be-done in your product development process. It is a proven methodology that will help you develop a deep understanding of your customers and create a product that they will love.
