Jobs to be Done and Value proposition Canvas - Map your customer problems

Look, we've all been there - spending weeks crafting what we think is the perfect product, only to launch and hear crickets.

Why? Because we were too busy falling in love with our solution instead of truly understanding the problem.

As Uri Levine, founder of Waze, famous quote says - "Fall In Love With The Problem, Not The Solution"

Enter Jobs to be Done (JTBD) and the Value Proposition Canvas - two powerful frameworks that help you stop guessing and start understanding what your customers actually need.

What makes JTBD and Value Prop Canvas special?

These frameworks force you to step into your customers' shoes and see the world through their eyes. Instead of asking "What features should we build?", you'll start asking "What job is our customer trying to get done?"

Think about it: People don't buy products - they hire them to do a job. Nobody wants a quarter-inch drill bit. They want a quarter-inch hole in their wall to hang a family photo.

Here are the key questions to understand your customer problems:

Getting Started

You can use this simple approach to get rolling:

Start with the customer job: Write down what progress your customer is trying to make in a specific situation. Keep it simple - one clear sentence. Map the context: When and where are they trying to get this job done? What's happening around them? List pains and gains:

Pains: What frustrates them? What costs too much time or money? Gains: What would make their life better? What would they love to achieve?

Sketch your value proposition: How does your solution:

Help them get the core job done? Eliminate key pains? Create essential gains?

Test and validate: Get out there and talk to real customers. Your first try won't be perfect, and that's okay.

Examples Here's a real-world example: Spotify didn't just create a music player. They understood that people's job was to "soundtrack their life with minimal effort." This led them to focus on:

Pain relievers: No more managing MP3 files or syncing devices Gain creators: Discover new music effortlessly, share playlists with friends Core job: Access any song, instantly, anywhere

FAQ

Isn't this just more busywork that delays building?

Nope. You can knock out a first draft in 30 minutes. Think of it as a compass - spending a little time getting oriented will help you move faster in the right direction. We already know our customers.

Can't we just ask customers what they want?

Henry Ford said it best: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." People are better at describing their problems than inventing solutions. These frameworks help you understand the problems worth solving.

Remember: The goal isn't to create perfect documentation - it's to understand your customers so well that product decisions become obvious. Keep it simple, talk to real users, and don't be afraid to challenge your assumptions.