Understanding customers’ motivations, choices, and behaviors is a cornerstone of successful product development. One of the most effective methodologies supporting this discovery process is the “Jobs to Be Done” (JTBD) framework. JTBD allows companies to uncover the underlying “job” customers are trying to complete with a product or service. However, when conducting JTBD interviews, bias—either explicit or implicit—can easily mislead results and obscure the real drivers behind customer actions.
Developing the skill to conduct bias-free JTBD interviews is thus crucial for deriving meaningful insights. Such accuracy ensures that product teams build solutions that truly align with their customer’s needs.
Understanding the Core Concept of JTBD
Before diving into interview techniques, it’s important to understand what JTBD really means. The framework moves beyond traditional demographic or persona-based approaches. Instead of profiles, JTBD focuses on the task that people are hiring a product or service to do.
For example, a person doesn’t just “buy a drill,” they hire a drill to “create a hole in the wall.” Their motivations might include hanging artwork before visitors arrive, completing a DIY project over the weekend, or following instructions from a spouse. Identifying and understanding these layers is the essence of JTBD.
How Bias Can Corrupt JTBD Interviews
Bias in JTBD interviewing comes in many forms:
- Leading Questions: These try to steer the interviewee toward a particular answer, sometimes subtly.
- Confirmation Bias: The interviewer may consciously or subconsciously seek responses that support their existing beliefs or hypotheses.
- Recency and Primacy Bias: Overweighting the latest or first answers in analysis, leading to skewed priority-setting.
- Social Desirability Bias: Interviewees may present an image of themselves that’s more flattering or conforms to what they think the interviewer wants to hear.
These biases don’t just affect raw data—they shape product decisions and misguide roadmaps. Minimizing them is both a methodological priority and a business necessity.
Preparing for a Bias-Free JTBD Interview
Conducting unbiased interviews starts long before sitting down with a participant. Planning includes:
- Crafting Non-Leading Questions: Ensure your questions are neutral. Instead of asking, “Did you find our app useful?” ask, “Walk me through how you used the app last time.”
- Creating a Comfortable Environment: A relaxed participant is more likely to be open and honest, minimizing the pressure of giving “correct” answers.
- Setting Clear Intentions: Make the interview’s goal clear to the participant but refrain from revealing your expectations so your framing doesn’t influence theirs.
Additionally, interviewers must train themselves to recognize their own cognitive biases before they begin field work. This awareness forms the foundation of objective and insightful research.
Executing the Interview: Techniques to Reduce Bias
During the interview, discipline and strategy make all the difference.
1. Use the “Switch Interview” Setup
This technique involves asking interviewees to recall a time when they switched from one product to another. The aim is to uncover motivation, context, and decision-making dynamics.
With this format, ask:
- “What product were you using before?”
- “What happened that made you start looking for alternatives?”
- “What aspects of the new solution mattered most to you when making the choice?”
By focusing on specific past decisions, not speculation about future behavior, the interview zeroes in on actual motivations and de-emphasizes hypothetical or idealistic responses.
2. Let Silence Do the Work
People tend to fill silences. When you wait a few extra seconds after a participant responds, they may elaborate or reveal deeper insights. Rushed follow-up questions can also impose your frame onto their experience, so resist the impulse to interrupt or guide.
3. Separate the Timeline
Chop the customer decision journey into phases:
- First Thought: What triggered their need?
- Passive Looking: What were they doing before seeking a new solution?
- Active Looking: What research or alternatives did they explore?
- Deciding: What sealed their decision?
- Post-Purchase Evaluation: How did expectations match experience?
Framing questions around this structure provides granular, unbiased insights while reducing the urge to generalize or infer motives too quickly.
4. Avoid “Why” — Ask “What” and “How”
The word “why” may signal judgment and cause respondents to rationalize their decisions, whereas “what” and “how” lead to action-based answers. Instead of asking, “Why did you choose that option?” say, “What influenced your decision at that moment?”
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Post-Interview Analysis: Identifying and Controlling Bias
Even after well-executed interviews, bias can re-enter when synthesizing findings. Team members may fixate on memorable quotes rather than patterns or interpret anecdotes through the lens of their own product assumptions.
Some best practices include:
- Transcribing and coding all interviews consistently to identify recurring themes rather than standout anomalies.
- Mapping responses onto predefined journey phases to contextualize answers in decision-making stages.
- Group debriefs following every interview to challenge assumptions, compare notes, and build shared understanding.
Bias can never be completely eliminated, but awareness and structured analysis go a long way in mitigating its effects.
When to Re-Evaluate Your JTBD Script or Process
As your team grows and new audiences are explored, your JTBD interview format may need adjustments. Periodically test for hidden biases across your process by:
- A/B testing different question wording to see if it influences responses.
- Routing transcripts through external or unbiased reviewers to audit objectivity.
- Comparing interviews across different market segments to identify leading frames or assumptions.
Iteration isn’t just for products—it’s vital for how customer data is gathered, too.
Final Thoughts
Jobs to Be Done is a powerful framework, but it rests entirely on the integrity of the data it uses. Interviewing without bias ensures you truly understand the job the customer wants to accomplish—not the one you assume they do. Through careful planning, open-ended probing, and structured analysis, teams can conduct JTBD interviews that are not only informative but genuinely customer-focused.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: What is the core goal of JTBD interviews?
A: JTBD interviews aim to uncover the real-life tasks or “jobs” that customers are trying to complete so companies can develop better products that serve those needs more effectively. - Q: How can I tell if my questions are biased?
A: Look for leading language, assumptions built into the question, or suggestive phrasing. Neutral, open-ended questions reduce bias. - Q: Are scripted interviews better than freeform conversations?
A: A hybrid approach works best. Scripts provide consistency, while flexibility in follow-up allows deeper exploration without implying bias. - Q: What’s the danger of relying too heavily on quotes?
A: While quotes bring stories to life, overemphasizing them can cause teams to chase outliers rather than patterns. Balance anecdotes with thematic analysis. - Q: How often should JTBD interviews be updated?
A: Whenever you enter new markets, update your product significantly, or feel your insights aren’t explaining user behavior fully—it’s time to refresh your process.
