On Day 1 I attended the session by Martina Klimešová, and it focused on the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework. This session was a solid introduction to a tool that helps designers and product teams understand what users are really trying to achieve when they use a product.
The key idea behind JTBD is pretty straightforward: people don’t care that much about the tool itself. What they care about is getting something done. In other words, people “hire” products to complete specific jobs in their lives. If the product does the job well, they keep using it. If it doesn’t, they “fire” it and move on to something else.
She walked us through the process of using JTBD in a real design workflow. It usually starts by defining a clear focus. After that, you conduct interviews with users to find out what jobs they’re trying to get done. From there, you analyze the interviews, cluster the insights, define the jobs clearly, and then create a final “Job Map.”
Job Maps were one of the most interesting parts of the talk for me. A Job Map shows all the steps a user goes through to complete a task. This helps designers figure out where features are actually needed, instead of guessing. It’s also a great way to build empathy with users because it shows you how they really think and feel while trying to get something done.
One thing she also pointed out was how Job Maps often work better than personas. She explained that personas are not always based on real people. Sometimes, teams spend time designing for a “user” that doesn’t actually exist. You can build a great product for a made-up person, but that doesn’t help real users. Job Maps avoid this problem by focusing on real tasks and real pain points.
Some other strengths of Job Maps she mentioned:
- They are more flexible than personas.
- They are based on real behavior, not guesses or stereotypes.
- They don’t depend on specific tools or platforms.
- They stay relevant over time, even if technology changes.
Overall, this talk gave me a better way to think about user needs. Instead of just asking who the user is, JTBD asks what the user is trying to achieve. That small shift in thinking can change everything — from the way we design features to how we test and prioritize them.
If you’re working on a product and want to make sure you’re solving real problems, not just designing for made-up characters, the Jobs to Be Done framework is a great place to start. This was a great session that reminded me why listening to users and focusing on their goals is always the right move.
