<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" /> This document aims to be a discussion guide to refer to during sessions with users. Think of it as a list of prompts for the interviewer, not a survey for the participant. Jobs-to-be-done interviews represent a type of open interviewing. It’s not about reading from a questionnaire but instead steering a conversation through a specific topic.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/book-closed_gray.svg" alt="/icons/book-closed_gray.svg" width="40px" /> How to use this document: If you are a Notion user, duplicate it as a template. If not a Notion user, copy/paste the content on your favourite writing tool.

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Interview Structure

<aside> <img src="/icons/bullseye_gray.svg" alt="/icons/bullseye_gray.svg" width="40px" /> People don’t know how to create solutions to solve their problems, so don’t ask them. Users do know about their own objectives and needs. Focus on understanding their jobs to be done from their perspective.

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Discussion Guide

The body of the discussion guide consists of a list of questions about relevant themes that should address existing questions, assumptions, and gaps in knowledge.

1. Get background about the participant and the job.

Build rapport and get the participant to talk freely.

• Tell me a little about yourself and what you do.
• When was the last time you did the main job?
• How did you feel overall while getting that job done?

2. Understand the main job and related jobs.

To get participants to talk about their jobs to be done, ask questions like the following.

• What are you trying to accomplish? What tasks are involved?
• What problems are you trying to prevent or resolve?
• What helps you achieve your goals?
• What would the ideal service be to do the job for you?
• What else are you trying to get done?

3. Understand the process of executing the job.

Go through the stages of getting the job done.