Jobs-to-be-done User Interviews

Jobs-To-Be-Done are a common term in the User Research lingo. They describe what the users of a certain product or service are trying to get done in their work and in their lives, as expressed in their own words. To put it in the same terms as Tony Ulwick, the founder of the consulting firm Strategyn and one of the persons who invented this concept:

The Jobs-to-be-done theory is based on the economic principle that people buy products and services to get “jobs” done, i.e., to help them accomplish tasks, achieve goals and objectives, resolve and avoid problems, and to make progress in their lives.

So, the jobs-to-be-done framework is an approach to developing products based on understanding both the user’s specific goal, or “job,” and the thought processes that would lead that user to turn to a certain product or service to complete the job.

The Jobs-to-be-done research for JAMS

At JAMS, we have decided to set out and dig deep to understand what are the jobs that scholarly journal editors need to accomplish every day. In particular, we want to uncover:

• which jobs matter more to them because failing to get them done could have serious ramifications

• what is the context in which these jobs are performed, since the context may impose certain contraints or limitations

• which obstacles and risks they are facing when trying to get these jobs done

• the outcomes and benefits that they want when performing these jobs

To do that, the JAMS Product team is inviting Editors-in-chief of independent scholarly journals to arrange interviews and discuss what are the most pressing jobs and the most severe pain points in their work to make the journal thrive.

We will use this vital feedback to ideate and craft solutions that solve real problems and add value to our users.