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How to Conduct a JTBD Interview

This guide walks you through conducting a Jobs to Be Done "switch interview" to understand why people hire and fire products.

Prerequisites

  • Access to someone who recently switched to or from a product/solution
  • 45-60 minutes of uninterrupted time
  • Recording capability (with permission)
  • Note-taking setup

Steps

1. Find the Right Participant

Interview people who recently (within 3 months) made a switch: - Started using your product - Stopped using your product - Switched from a competitor

Avoid: People who are "considering" or "might" switch. You need actual decisions.

2. Set Up the Interview

Script to schedule:

"I'm researching how people make decisions about [product category]. I'd love to hear the story of how you ended up using [product]. It'll take about 45 minutes and help us build better products."

Don't say: "I want feedback on our product" (biases responses toward features).

3. Start with the Timeline

Begin at the end and work backward:

"Tell me about when you first started using [new product]."
↓
"What were you using before that?"
↓
"When did you first realize the old solution wasn't working?"
↓
"What happened that made you start looking for something new?"

4. Explore the Four Forces

For each phase, probe the forces:

Force Questions to Ask
Push "What frustrated you about the old way?" "What was the breaking point?"
Pull "What attracted you to [new solution]?" "What did you hope it would do?"
Anxiety "What concerns did you have about switching?" "What almost stopped you?"
Habit "What was comfortable about the old way?" "What did you miss after switching?"

5. Dig for Specifics

When they give general answers, ask for specific instances:

They Say You Ask
"It was too slow" "Can you remember a specific time when that slowed you down?"
"I needed something better" "What happened that made you feel that way?"
"My colleague recommended it" "What specifically did they say? Where were you when they told you?"

6. Map the Timeline

Create a timeline of the decision:

FIRST THOUGHT → PASSIVE LOOKING → ACTIVE LOOKING → DECISION → FIRST USE
     │               │                 │              │           │
   Event           Event             Event          Event       Event
   Date            Date              Date           Date        Date

7. Identify the Job

From the interview, synthesize:

When [situation they described],
I want to [what they were trying to accomplish],
So I can [the outcome they hoped for].

8. Key Questions Checklist

First thought: - [ ] "When did you first realize you might need something different?" - [ ] "What was happening in your life/work at that time?"

Passive looking: - [ ] "How did you first hear about alternatives?" - [ ] "Were you actively looking, or did you stumble on it?"

Active looking: - [ ] "What triggered you to seriously start evaluating options?" - [ ] "What criteria mattered most?" - [ ] "Who else was involved in the decision?"

Decision moment: - [ ] "What made you finally commit?" - [ ] "What almost made you not switch?" - [ ] "How did you feel right after deciding?"

First use: - [ ] "What was your experience when you first used it?" - [ ] "What surprised you?" - [ ] "What didn't work as expected?"

Common Mistakes

Mistake Why It Fails Instead
Asking about features Gets rational justification, not real motivation Ask about situations and feelings
Accepting first answer Surface answers hide real jobs Probe: "Tell me more about that"
Leading questions Biases toward your assumptions Use open questions: "What happened next?"
Skipping the timeline Misses the decision context Always reconstruct the journey

Expected Output

After the interview, you should have: - A timeline of the decision process - Clear push and pull factors - Identified anxieties and habits - A job statement describing what they were trying to accomplish - Quotes you can reference later