GUEST: Yours truly. This is a conceptually-sweet episode, where I summarize an idea instead of interview a guest THEME: Job To Be Done, A framework by Clayton Christensen about progress that explains why consumers make the choices they do BIG IDEA: Take the guesswork out of innovation by discovering and addressing a "Job"
Job: progress that a person is trying to make in a particular circumstance
Think about the job at the level of abstraction where products/services in other classes can accomplish the job
Don't create products -- create experiences that help people make progress in their lives
Look for: workarounds, frustration, non-consumption
Integrate around the job and don't get mislead by the loudness of spreadsheet data
FAVORITE QUOTE: "The pull of the new has to be much greater than the sum of the inertia of the old and the anxieties about the new"
BONUS EXAMPLE: Online College Job: Get people degrees quickly with good support along the way Competition: Other online programs, Nothing (dropouts who are too busy so just never go back) How they competed: quicker, more personal follow-ups (phone calls); Built real campuses to reduce online students' anxiety that it's some scam Experiences offered to help students progress: There were no more leisurely responses to financial aid questions -- now phone call in under 10 min Obstacles removed: Decisions about financial aid and how many credits would transfer were resolved within days. Ads reoriented to target later-life learners -- advancing careers, selling pride of achieving goal, committing to loved ones
To get these deep-dives sent to your inbox every time an episode drops, subscribe to our newsletter, The Trailhead.
A few more reasons to join:
Switchback info: our best content & early-access to products
Quality over quantity: One very good email a month
Restrained: No click tracking, easily unsubscribe